


The One Direction Assignment

by Popstar



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Escorts, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, And Nick is just there because of reasons, Harry is his assistant, It's more romance than action though, Liam is the CEO of a company, Louis is a spy, M/M, Niall is Q, Romance, Zayn is a spy too and he's more or less Louis' boss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 21:00:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1483741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Popstar/pseuds/Popstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“And how am I supposed to do it?” Louis asks back. “It’s not like it’s easy to earn the trust of some big ass CEO of some global company. It would take months of warming him up so he’d let me anywhere near his office, let alone his business transactions.”</p><p>“I know. Especially if one’s, well, you.” Zayn smiles and Louis narrows his eyes. He would take something like that as an insult if anyone other than Zayn had said it. “Take a look. We’ve created a special profile, just for you.”</p><p>Louis looks at the file, letting his eyes scan over the page and – “What? No way! You can’t be serious. I’m not doing that. I’m talking to N about this. No way!”</p><p> </p><p>Or the one where Louis is a spy and has to go undercover for a special assignment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Direction Assignment

**Author's Note:**

> Actually my plan was to write a model!Liam AU, but somehow along the way I got distracted, got an inspiration while watching Homeland and 12,000 words later I decided that I should finish this. This is for [crownheartsteacup](http://crownheartsteacup.tumblr.com), because she's the best person in the world, held my hand, encouraged me and helped me with awesome ideas. Also, a big bunch of flowers to her for the beta.
> 
> Also, all my knowledge about secret agents and spies comes from Hollywood. So, well, apologies if there are any major mistakes in it. :)
> 
> All remaining mistakes belong to Lukas because of reasons. 
> 
> **Disclaimer** : I don't own anything and this is simply for entertainment. Don't want to hurt anyone's feelings here and am not implying anything - it's just fiction that sprung from my imagination.
> 
> .
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](http://sassypopstar.tumblr.com) :)

“Your assignment is Liam Payne, CEO of One Direction Corporation and internationally well-known for running charity events and fundraising galas,” Z says and pushes the folder that’s lying in front of him over to Louis. “It’s all in there.”

Louis flips the folder open and stares at the picture. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“Sorry?”

“He. This assignment, you’re pulling my leg, right? _Someone_ up there thinks it’s funny. Did you tell them I like Beckham and now they’re taking the piss about it?” Louis raises his eyebrows and points at the picture in the file.

“What?” Zayn reaches across the desk and pulls the folder back, staring at the picture himself. “ _No_ ,” he presses and rolls his eyes before shoving it back at Louis. “Would you please concentrate, for once?”

Louis shrugs. “What? You’re the one assigning me a target that looks like Beckham. _You_ should know, of all people.” He takes the file into his hands and looks at the picture again. “His nose is bigger, though.” But it doesn’t make him any less handsome. Somehow it even gives him softer features, making him look a little more like a big puppy with his warm brown eyes and less like the cold CEO of some corporation Louis expected.

“Stop with that shit, Lou. I’ll take it away and give it to Tom instead,” Zayn says, his expression serious.

“That wanker? No way.” Louis shakes his head. “This one’s mine and mine to keep. So zip it.”

Zayn rolls his eyes and Louis is sure that he’s the only one who dares to talk back to him, seeing as who Louis is dealing with. Not that he cares. He wouldn’t have made it so far if he hadn’t risked anything in his life – and he’s still fucking young, so he’s proud of what he’s become. Besides, he’s probably the only person at the agency that’s allowed to call Zayn his friend. So that’s another thing Louis is very proud of.

“Now, can we please focus on the task at hand?” Zayn makes a gesture at the file again. “We’re not sure if Payne is involved in anything since we couldn’t tie anything to him. But we’re sure that his company is used for laundering money out of international drug businesses and human trafficking. So your task is to find out what’s going on behind closed doors. We need to gather intel and make sure we get the head of the operations.”

“And how am I supposed to do it?” Louis asks back. “It’s not like it’s easy to earn the trust of some big ass CEO of some global company. It would take months of warming him up so he’d let me anywhere near his office, let alone his business transactions.”

“I know. Especially if one’s, well, you.” Zayn smiles and Louis narrows his eyes. He would take something like that as an insult if anyone other than Zayn had said it. “Take a look. We’ve created a special profile, just for you.”

Louis looks at the file, letting his eyes scan over the page and – “What? No way! You can’t be serious. I’m _not_ doing that. I’m talking to N about this. No way!”

Zayn just smirks.

 

~*~

 

“I am _not_ an escort. No.” Louis crosses his arms and stares at Niall, shaking his head vigorously. “ _No_.”

Niall shrugs. “Not much you can do, I suppose?” He looks extremely calm and not at all impressed by Louis’ stare. Louis hates him. He’s been working with him far too long. “Besides, I doubt you have some kind of choice.”

Louis narrows his eyes. “But you can create some other profile for me. Temper with the information, hack the system. Whatever it is you’re doing all day. So you can easily figure out what else some big ass CEO needs, besides the occasional sex, you know?”

“I’m not hacking our own system, just because you’re not comfortable with your role for your assignment, Lou.” Niall shrugs again and takes the Walther PPK in his hands, inspecting it carefully before handing it to Louis. “Don’t go and lose it, _again_.”

“I didn’t lose it,” Louis replies and shrugs. “I can’t help it when I had to throw it at someone’s head to save my life because I hadn’t had any ammo left.”

Niall simply gives him a look and hands him his glasses. “There’s a camera in the frame. Applying pressure on the left side of the frame activates it.”

“I guess it’s not meant for recording porn?”

“Louis.” Niall tries his best not to laugh and shakes his head. “No. It’s a live feed, once activated, feeding directly into the HQ. We’ll record it here.”

“Aw.” Louis pouts at that and carefully puts the glasses away. “Seeing as I’m pretending to be a high-class hooker, I could see myself having fun and watching it back, later. But you’re spoiling everything for me.”

“Sorry, mate.” Niall doesn’t look like he’s even remotely sorry. “Moving on.” He hands Louis an USB drive. “Old school. If you find data you can collect, collect it. We need everything we can get our hands on. There’s an algorithm on it. It searches automatically for any suspicious behaviour once it’s plugged in.”

Louis chuckles. “Seriously? I thought you’d give me some sort of new invention or whatever. But an USB drive? That’s actually really old school. Anything else?”

“Use protection?” Niall grins at him and Louis can’t help but laugh. He knows him too well, probably.

“Don’t I always?” He asks back and Niall shrugs.

“I don’t know, mate. I’ve only caught you having sex once. So that’s hardly expressive.” Louis doesn’t know how he does it, but he looks extremely calm and even a little bit smug. If he had to suffer through someone else’s sex session with some random guy, he wouldn’t have been as understanding as Niall is.

“I might be an arse, but sometimes I’m nice,” Louis says instead and grins, patting Niall’s back and then pinching his nipple.

Niall yelps and shoves Louis, rolling his eyes. “That’s still something that needs to be proven.”

Louis shrugs. “You’re my favourite, Niall,” he says and grins, hugging him for a moment. It’s true, really. Out of all the techs that work for the agency, Niall is the best in his field and most trustworthy person Louis has ever worked with. He doesn’t even know how Niall has made it this far, seeing as he’s Irish, actually, and not British, but Louis doesn’t care. As long as Niall does his job and doesn’t risk his life, for all Louis cares he could be born in North Korea.

 

~*~

 

“Well, Mr. Wayne, You’ve got the perfect resume,” Harry Styles says and smiles at Louis. He’s polite and charming and Louis feels like he’s checking him out – further than the strictly professional reasons that being a personal assistant bring with. Louis does feel flattered. “Liam, Mr. Payne, that is, is already excited to meet you.”

Louis shrugs. “What can I say? Me, too.” He smiles back, because he’s supposed to be eager and he really wants that job. Well, he wants his assignment go well and he wants to catch whoever is dealing drugs, laundering money and trafficking poor humans around the globe. Okay, and mostly he really wants to find out if Liam Payne is actually truly the proper nerd Louis’ research has shown.

“And this is the first time you’re doing something like this?” Harry blinks curiously and Louis wonders if he really should be a personal assistant, working for someone as important as a CEO of a global acting company, carrying as much responsibility as one could think of, and looking like he’s barely over twenty.

“Yes. I actually need the money for my studies. I’m studying drama,” Louis explains and smiles one of his winning smiles. “Or rather, I am taking a sabbatical now, you know, to make some money.” He shrugs. He’s not going to explain it to any personal assistant, no matter how nice Harry might be. Depending on what he says, he could end up not getting the job – which he doubts will happen because important people have pulled enough strings that Louis has been the only outstanding candidate at the escort agency Mr. Payne had picked out and it was only a formality that Louis had been the one called in for something like an interview.

“I see.” Harry nods and takes a look at the rather expensive watch on his wrist before he takes a few notes, scribbling in handwriting that Louis has trouble reading. He’s got to improve this, Louis finds and raises an eyebrow.

He’s just about to say something when the door to Mr. Payne’s office opens and the man in question steps out of the room. He’s even broader than he’s looked in the pictures and Louis finds himself staring. He apparently has lost his jacket sometime during the day, probably so it won’t crumble. Louis can see the defined muscles under his white shirt, the singlet he’s wearing underneath showing through, slightly. Louis doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but he believes in lust at first sight and what he’s feeling for Liam Payne right now is definitely lust. He gets up, quickly straightening his shirt and takes a step forward, holding out his hand to him. “Louis Wayne, nice to meet you.”

Liam takes Louis’ hand in his, shaking it firmly. “Wayne?” He asks and chuckles a little, his whole face lighting up in amusement. “Rhymes with Payne, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s some coincidence.” Louis shrugs and grins back. He’s going to kill Zayn. Or Niall. Or whoever came up with this stupid identity.

“You’re not Batman, by any chance?” Liam asks then, letting go of Louis’ hand and eyeing him closely.

Louis raises his eyebrows, laughing a little. “No, sadly I’m not related to Bruce either. I’m just Superman. But shh, that’s still a secret.”

“Good to know.” Liam smiles at him and then gestures towards his office. “You can sit down. I’ll be with you in a minute. Harry? Could you please bring our guest some coffee or tea? Whatever he wants.”

“Tea would be lovely, Harold,” Louis says and stalks into Liam’s office, flopping down on one of the chairs in front of his desk. He feels like he’s actually doing a real job interview, rather than talking about what would and wouldn’t be appropriate while being with each other. But he’s got a good feeling about it, especially since Liam is watching him for a moment before he turns away and leaves Louis alone with Harry and his request for tea.

 

 

As it turns out, Liam is a super dork and nerd and a way too polite and nice person. Louis wonders how someone like him could’ve become the CEO of an important global company like One Direction. He really doesn’t get it. Maybe it’s because Liam is pretty and nice and polite. But those treats aren’t exactly known for global and financial success or being single, for that matter.

Louis is crushing a little on him, though. Nothing serious, of course, just superficially, but Liam is pretty fit after all. He’s laughing a lot and teasing Liam, just the appropriate amount to make a faint blush appear on his cheeks – so all in all, Louis is having fun. And he can see himself working for or with Liam or whatever it is an escort is doing. No questions asked, Louis would let Liam bent him over the desk in his very office and let him do anything he wanted to him. He’s shallow and he likes it.

Liam smiles at him and gets up. He walks around the same desk Louis had vicious day dreams about merely a second ago and leans against it. He folds his hands in his lap and smiles at Louis. “So, how would you like to sign a contract?”

Louis raises his eyebrows because that’s not what he’s been expecting. Escorts aren’t supposed to be asked, are they? They’re better hookers, in the end, and people buy them with ridiculous amounts of money. “Sure, like, to settle our business relationship?”

Liam nods. “Something like this, yeah. And I’ve got to ask you, Louis, are you really sure you want to do this? You can still back out, if you want to. I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

“No.” Louis shakes his head. “I don’t want out. I really want to do it. I mean, I need the money, obviously, or I wouldn’t be here. But you’re nice. I like you already.” Some brutal honesty can’t hurt and Liam really seems like a nice person. Somehow Louis got the feeling that Liam is going to treat him nicely, especially if they’re really going to have sex.

“Alright.” Liam smiles again, but this time his whole face does something funny, his eyes going all crinkly and Louis can’t help but chuckle himself. “I’ll have Harry bring you the contract.” He cups Louis’ face softly with his warm and solid right hand and Louis feels himself melting into the touch.

“Yeah, sure,” he says, because at this point he doesn’t really care. The first step in succeeding the mission is getting the job. And Louis is almost done with the first step. If a little pleasure is mixed in as well, he’s hardly one to complain. And Liam does look like someone who knows what he wants and how to get it.

 

 

Once the contract is signed – Louis makes sure to take out his glasses and read it extremely carefully after applying pressure to the left side of the frame so the agency has everything they need saved to their data base – they head out for lunch to get to know each other a little bit better. Liam holds the door open for him, like the gentleman that he is.

He does let Louis order for himself though and he listens to him talk about the latest music he’s been listening to – really, Louis is just a top 40 kind of guy. He likes everything that puts him into a good mood and he likes dancing to Rhianna. That’s not even a lie. He’s figured out, over the years, that it’s important to pour in some truth into the lies he’s creating. It helps keeping track with his persona and so far, he really likes this Louis.

Liam seems to like him, too. He’s laughing an awful lot at all the jokes Louis is making, like it’s the funniest thing in the world. And Louis can’t help but wonder. Wonder why Liam had to buy an escort to keep him company. He’s a good looking guy, he’s fit, he’s nice and he’s got the money. He could easily find someone real to love.

Louis really wants to ask him why he’s doing it. But he’s not ready to be blunt enough on the first date. So he holds his tongue and asks about Liam’s favourite football team, ending in a discussion about why Manchester United is or isn’t the greatest football club in the entire world. Liam will learn his lesson, eventually.

“It is!” Louis says and kicks him under the table, making Liam wince at the pain. “You’ll have to watch a game with me so you’ll believe me!”

Liam laughs. “No, I’ll probably never believe you. But we can go watch a game together, that I wouldn’t mind. I do own a box at Emirates Stadium anyway.”

Louis raises his eyebrows. “You own a box?”

“Yeah.” Liam smiles, almost looking a bit sheepish. “I had to buy something with my money, right? So I bought my parents and my sisters a bigger house and finally decided to buy a box in a football stadium. I’m away most of the time anyway, but if I want to go, well, I want to go somewhere nice. And I liked the Emirates Stadium better than the other Premier League stadiums here in London.”

“You just… bought a box. That’s like at least 100,000, right? I mean, are you nuts?” Louis doesn’t even try to hide his surprise. He’d probably done the same, if he had made ridiculous amounts of money and would not be living off the really crappy salary he gets for risking his life in the quest of whatever it is he’s supposed to be doing next. He really should reconsider his life choices.

Liam shrugs. “I might be?” He laughs. “I do own some money, Louis. After all, you’re not exactly cheap yourself.”

Louis actually blushes at that. “Of course I’m not,” he says, “I’m high class. I should be even more expensive than the stupid box in the wrong stadium you own.”

Liam laughs at that and reaches over the table, squeezing Louis’ hand softly. “I’m sure you’ll be worth all trouble though.”

“You can bet on it,” Louis replies and moves his hand so his fingers are linked with Liam’s. He’s playing a role. It’s not like he’s enjoying it, much, anyway. And if he might be enjoying it, well, then it’s part of the role. And besides, there’s no harm in having a little fun while working for the agency. As long as he gets his job done, no one is going to ask him if he was enjoying himself.

“I’ll have to work in the afternoon, unfortunately. But we can see each other tonight, if you want to? I’d be happy if you accompanied me to a business meeting over a dinner party – it’ll be extremely boring but with you there I’ll have something nice to look at.”

Louis grins. “I’d love to!”

 

 

“He’s extremely polite, like he’s someone of the fucking Royal Family.” Louis tucks his mobile under his ear while he rummages through his alias’ cupboard in search for something to wear to a fancy dinner party. “Why didn’t you think of buying me a smoking, really, Niall?”

Niall laughs. “Sorry,” he says. “I’ll have you one delivered by the time you’ll have to get ready. So, is he as fit as his picture is suggesting, then?”

“He’s even fitter,” Louis says and leans against the cupboard, sighing heavily. “He’s like, all muscles and extremely well trained and I’d bet you a thousand bucks that in bed he’s all—“

“No! No. I don’t want to talk about it. If we’ll do it, you’ll record what he’s doing with his arms and anyway _no_. We can’t have that again, Louis. Z was _furious_ the last time it happened,” Niall points out and something crumbles into the receiver. He’s probably eating crisps again.

“That was just because it hasn’t been important for the mission last time,” Louis replies and chuckles. “This time, having sex with the assignment sort of comes with the job description. And by the way, I still can’t believe you’re all fine with basically selling me.”

“Z still wouldn’t like it,” Niall says. “Besides, your naked form has burned itself onto my eyes for the rest of eternity. I don’t need any more pictures added to that.”

“You’re no fun.” Louis pouts at the phone but he looks up when the doorbell rings. “Gotta go, that’s probably the smoking you send me.”

“I haven’t had it send to you yet.” Niall’s frown is audible and Louis raises his eyebrows.

“Fine. I’ll be careful. See you around.” He rings off and pockets his phone before slowly walking to the door. He’s got the Walther ready to be drawn any second, suspecting the worst, obviously. One could never know in his line of work. Carefully he peeks throw the viewer and chuckles to himself when he spots Harry, Liam’s assistant. He puts the safety back on and shoves the weapon into the back of his jeans, pulling the t-shirt over it. “Hello there, young Harold,” Louis says as he opens the door and grins at the startled expression.

Harry seems to be a professional though because his surprise is short-lived. He smiles at Louis and hands him a package. “Best regards from Liam. In case you haven’t something to wear to night. A car will pick you up at seven sharp.”

Louis eyes the package carefully before quickly opening it. It’s a smoking. “Thanks. I guess.” He smiles at Harry, who is still eyeing him carefully. “You wanna come in for a cuppa?”

The younger one – Louis only knows that from the files he’s been reading while doing his research on Liam and his closest employees – considers for a moment. “I’d love to,” he says eventually – drawls, more likely – and smiles again, cute little dimples showing on his cheeks. Louis feels the urge to pinch them. “But I’ve got some more work to do. Liam wanted me to deliver the smoking personally, though.”

Louis nods. “Well, cheers then. Tell him, package received and I’ll look extra dashing tonight, just for him.” He smiles back, simply because he can and then feels his phone vibrate in his pocket.

“I’m sure you will. See you around,” Harry says and with that he’s gone, leaving Louis standing in the open door, holding a brand new, probably really expensive, smoking in his hands. Louis shakes his head. He doesn’t quite understand the working relationship Liam and Harry have going on, but, as it seems, they are rather close.

He closes the door and pulls out his phone. He’s received a text from Liam.

_I bet you look superrr hot :)_

Louis smiles, because it’s actually cute. _You’ll see ;)_ , he texts back and then pockets his phone again before taking the smoking to the bedroom. “You and I have some work to do,” he tells the fabric and drops the package onto his bed.

 

 

Louis is rather proud of himself for how he’s looking. He sends a picture to Niall, just to prove that he looks extremely good before he heads out for the car. He isn’t even a minute late and the driver, Paul, as he introduces himself, nods grimly at him before holding the door open. Louis doesn’t even dare to say anything. Liam’s got all the money. He could probably buy the world. And Louis has to focus. He’s got an assignment, he’s got to find out who uses Liam’s company to launder money, and while he’s at it, figure out the drug and human trafficking businesses. It’s easy, really. All while pretending to be a high-class escort and seducing the CEO of a global company. Louis feels like he’s punished for what happened in Russia. But really, it hasn’t been his fault that the disc with the information for the operation had been destroyed. They could’ve at least made sure that there was a copy.

Liam smiles at him when they arrive and Paul opens the door for Louis. “You look incredible,” he tells him while he brushes his lips to Louis’ cheek and grabs his elbow.

“So do you,” Louis replies, smiling politely, and pushes his arm through Liam’s, plastering himself to his side. He doesn’t notice how easily he fits against Liam. How good it feels to have his muscles close and how nice he smells. Really, he doesn’t want to. It’s all part of the role he is playing and he’s not enjoying it in the tiniest bit. Not at all.

 

Paul sticks to their side the entire time and Louis learns that he’s not only the driver, but Liam’s most trusted bodyguard as well. It’s sweet, really, Louis feels honoured because, well, Liam spared his own bodyguard to pick up and protect Louis. Not that he needs protection, of course, but he isn’t going to tell Liam that, obviously.

The dinner party is as boring as Liam had predicted. But Louis makes sure to keep the conversations going – he’s good at small talk, he really is. And he’s trying to impress Liam by making his business partners interested in who he is dating. After all, it’s mostly uncommon for a high level CEO to bring a male plus one to such events and when they notice the way Liam is holding on to Louis’ elbow most of the time, they are even more surprised. It’s a gesture that shows fondness and endearment, not really something that would’ve been expected of them.

Louis tries his best to be charming. He makes Liam laugh, because that’s actually something he can do and Liam is obviously enjoying himself. He’s stroking Louis’ back from time to time, or his arm. Whenever it’s possible he’s making contact and Louis can feel the effect it’s having on him. It might be the champagne, but he’s really getting turned on by Liam’s touches.

“Focus, Louis.” Niall’s voice sounds clear as a brisk in his ear and Louis’ head jerks up at that, almost a little startled.

Liam gives him a confused look and Louis smiles, patting his thigh and shaking his head. “I thought I heard something, but sorry, didn’t want to startle you. I’m going to use the loo.” He brushes his lips to Liam’s cheek and Liam just smiles at him and nods, watching Louis walk off.

“Fuck, Ni, you can’t scare me like that,” Louis says while he checks if the loos are empty and the slumps against the wall – everything is fancy here, even the wood, probably mahogany, and Louis feels a bit exhausted from behaving posh and proper the whole evening.

“I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.” Niall chuckles. “So, you found someone interesting?”

“Nah, they’re all old and rusty and not one’s ringing any bells. This isn’t about drugs or money. This is about raising money for poor little kids in Africa. Liam’s actually a _great_ guy.” Louis feels his face heat up and he’s really glad that no one can see him right now. He’s blushing like a little school girl and he’s defending the one man he’s supposed to find out everything he can about him.

“And there you go, having a little crush,” Niall says in a serious voice. Louis has worked long enough with him to know that he means it fondly though and Louis can’t really be cross with him. Mostly because it’s true. But it’s not like he’s going to admit that to Niall.

“I have no such thing,” he replies instead and shakes his head. “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open anyway and you’ll know when something important comes up, yeah?”

“Sure. I was just trying to get your focus back on track. Just from your tone I could practically hear you craving Liam’s big hands all over you. And Liam probably could, too.”

Louis rolls his eyes. “Just for your information,” he says, “his big hands _have been_ all over me all night.”

Niall groans. “ _Louis_.”

Louis tries very hard not to smirk and fails miserably.

 

 

“You don’t have to drop me off at home,” Louis says as Paul pulls up in front of his house. He looks up at the dark flat before he smiles at Liam. “It’s been a nice evening. I could make sure you’d be all relaxed tomorrow.” He places a hand on Liam’s chest and lets his fingers trace over it gently, smiling up at him. Oh, he’s good at that. Flirting and trying to seduce someone. He really is.

Judging by Liam’s face, Louis has succeeded once again. “I’d love to,” Liam says and pulls Louis’ hand away from his chest, squeezing it for a moment. “But I’m not that kind of man.”

Louis raises his eyebrows. He’s surprised, he really is. Especially since Liam is buying his company anyway. He could easily just use Louis and throw him out when he’s done with him. “Oh, okay.”

“But I’d love to see you again, soon,” Liam says and smiles at him, pulling Louis closer. He nods, because he doesn’t really find his voice, let alone trust it, and this truly is a first for Louis, especially since he’s known for his sharp tongue. And suddenly there are Liam’s lips on his and Louis is melting against him. It’s a nice kiss, proper and firm, but yet still gentle and polite – like Liam is asking and waiting for Louis’ answer.

And Louis has never been one to decline when someone asked so nicely. He pushes one hand into Liam’s hair, even though it’s complicated with the hair cut he’s wearing right now, so he just settles for the back of Liam’s neck and pulls him further against him. He nibbles at Liam’s lower lip and when Liam gasps against his lips, he licks into his mouth. Liam’s tongue is skilled and quick as it slides alongside Louis’ and the kiss slowly grows on heat. Louis feels himself shifting closer until Liam pulls away, panting softly.

He smiles at Louis and gently cups his cheeks. “I’d definitely like to see you again.”

Louis grins back. “Yeah, me, too,” he says and steals another kiss from Liam’s lips before he gets out of the car. “Call me!” He winks and waves at Liam before he’s off, walking towards the front door of his house and slipping inside without looking back.

He bites his lip and tries to contain the smile that’s spreading all over his face. It’s been one day and Louis is really fucked, when it comes right down to it. Or well, actually he’s not been fucked yet. Liam is old school and a nice guy and Louis really hopes that he doesn’t find anything that connects him to any of the agency’s speculations. Because Louis really doesn’t need the reputation Bond or the other Double-O agents have, always sleeping with the bad guys or their girlfriends or assistants or someone like that.

 

~*~

 

It takes Liam a day to call Louis and another until they see each other again, this time it’s a private dinner at Liam’s fancy loft in Canary Wharf. Louis tries his best not to be impressed and fails miserably. He’s been around the world, seen places others never even dared to dream of and yet a simple loft in one of London’s posh neighbourhoods manages to impress him. He’s not sure if that has anything to do with the flat or rather Liam himself.

Speaking of which, Louis watches him move around his own kitchen from where he’s sprawled out on the couch. Really, he could get used to this. Liam’s making him dinner and all Louis has got to do is look pretty and entertain him with some nice stories. That’s something he can do. And it’s nice not getting shot at, for a change.

“So, how did you get sacked at your last job then?” Liam asks and comes over, handing Louis a glass of what’s probably extremely expensive wine.

“The manager thought I did some inappropriate flirting,” Louis says and shifts over, making room for Liam – he’s making lasagne, from what Louis could make out and thus they’ll have at least half an hour before dinner is ready. “Which I totally did not. I swear. It was never inappropriate!”

Liam laughs at that and then takes a sip of his wine. “Is that why you signed up for the escort service?”

Louis shrugs. “Maybe,” he says and looks down at his glass. “I’m good at flirting and making people laugh. So I thought, why not try and make a living out of it. And you’re not even half bad.” He nudges Liam with his foot, making the other one laugh again.

“Thanks, I guess.” Liam smiles at him. “It’s the first time I’m using such services myself. So you’re not alone at this new stuff.”

“Oh.” Louis raises his eyebrows. “Okay. I thought, I don’t know, you’d… uhm, use these services all the time?”

Liam shakes his head. “No.” He smiles a little sadly. “Actually I’m a guy for proper relationships. I’ve just hadn’t had the time to go out and meet someone and fall in love with them. It’s hard when you’re as busy as I am. I was tired of being asked to bring someone to fancy dinner parties all the time. And I’m a bit lonely, at times.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Louis says before he can think better of it. He bites his lip and blinks at Liam when he gives him a surprised look. “I mean, I’ve been studying really hard and working my ass off at the coffee shop while trying to make enough money to pay my rent,” Louis explains quickly – because telling Liam that getting shot at in Russia has been the last things he’s been doing and that’s why he hasn’t had time to fall in love and start a relationship is hardly appropriate.

“I get that.” Liam reaches out and places his hand on Louis’ thigh, squeezing gently. “So, actually it’s win-win for both of us, right?”

“I guess so? I mean, I get all the pretty stuff and you’re paying me an ass load of money and we’re still sort of dating. Even if you just bought me.” Louis shrugs. “And if it doesn’t work out, you can end the contract and never have to see me again, right?”

“But the same goes for you, Louis.” Liam squeezes his thigh again. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or anything, just because you think about the money. I want you to enjoy yourself, too.”

“That I am, Leemo, trust me.” Louis grins and leans over. He doesn’t even hesitate and places his lips on Liam’s, kissing him gently. When Liam responds to the kiss, moving his hand up to cup Louis’ face, his thumb gracing over his cheekbone, Louis shifts closer and deepens the kiss, licking into Liam’s mouth. It’s even better than last time, probably because he’s more sober and he’s taking everything in this time. He’s enjoying it, probably more than he should, but Liam is a true gentleman at heart and he’s quickly figuring out what Louis likes, making Louis gasp into his mouth when Liam’s hand drops to his throat, thumb softly stroking over the warm skin. It sets off all kind of alarms in Louis’ head at first, but when it’s clear that Liam isn’t going to choke him, Louis melts some more into the kiss.

Liam pulls away enough to nibble on Louis’ lower lip before he darts in to kiss him again, leaving Louis almost no time to adjust and catch his breath. He knows what he wants and he’s probably not afraid to take it, yet Liam’s waiting for Louis’ reply, rather than just taking what pleases himself. And Louis doesn’t need to be invited twice. He’s shifting closer and brings his free hand up, letting it roam over Liam’s broad chest and muscular arms. He’s wearing a polo shirt tonight, making him look casual and probably a little too old for his age. But Louis couldn’t care less. He’s showing off his muscles enough for Louis to feel him up.

It’s Liam who pulls away again, gazing down at him, a dazed look on his face. He’s smiling though and his hand moves up to cup Louis’ cheek again. “Would you like to spend the night?” It could be a simple order, given the business behind their relationship, but it sounds like an honest question.

Louis bites his lip. He shouldn’t, probably. Not yet. Maybe he should play hard to get, even though his role is an escort and he’s receiving money for what he does. But he wants to. He desperately wants to sleep with Liam. Let him suck him off, let him fuck him. He wants Liam to do all the dirty things to him he can think of. And then he wants to do it to Liam. He wants to wreck him. “Yeah,” he replies softly and smiles at Liam, gently rubbing over his upper arm. “I’d love to.”

 

 

Dinner is nice. The lasagne Liam made is extremely delicious and Louis feels slightly drunk. Not too much, a light buzz in his system, just the right state of being tipsy that lets him enjoy the night and giggle at all of Liam’s stupid jokes that aren’t probably even half as funny when he’s sober. “I swear to you, I was standing in front of the Queen and I shook her hand and then I asked her if she had a pleasant night.”

“You did not!” Louis giggles and lets his head roll against Liam’s shoulder, shaking his head a bit. They’ve moved to the couch again sometime after dinner and by now they’re curled up with each other, Louis extremely comfortable tucked up in Liam’s arms. It’s only partially part of the role he’s playing and if he’s really honest with himself it’s mostly down to the fact that he really enjoys Liam this close to him.

“I did. And she didn’t even flinch. She just smiled and told me that it was indeed very pleasant and thanked me for asking!” Liam groans and hides his face in his free hand at the memory.

“Well, at least the Queen was nice to you. And you’ve met her. I didn’t, which is a shame, really. She totally misses out on this.” Louis grins up at Liam and winks. Even though it’s a lie. Of course he’s met the fucking Queen. But he can hardly tell Liam. If he asks when and how and why, Louis would have to tell him the truth and then he probably would’ve to kill him. Which, of course, he wouldn’t have to, but still.

Liam smiles at him. “That she does,” he agrees and reaches out, gently stroking Louis’ face with his big warm hand. The expression on his face is so extremely fond, Louis wants to punch him. How can he, after only two days, look at Louis like this? They hardly know each other. Liam doesn’t even know the _real_ him. And yet he’s smiling at him like this. It makes Louis’ heart wrench and he bites his lip.

Instead of saying anything, he leans forward and kisses Liam. Because if he can’t tell him anything, the least he can do is show him. He wraps his arms around him and moves forward until he’s straddling Liam, tongue already busy licking into his mouth. When Liam’s arms come to wrap around him, he gasps against Liam’s lips and shifts closer, rubbing his crotch against Liam’s. He knows where this is going and he’s not even half surprised they both want it. They’re still young, probably extremely underfucked and Louis can’t help but groan low in his throat when Liam’s hands cup his bum and start kneading. “Yeah,” he breathes against Liam’s lips, “fuck, _yes_.”

Liam chuckles and lets his lips move down to Louis’ neck, sucking at the skin, before his teeth follow suit and he’s biting and nibbling, making Louis groan again. Liam is extremely skilled when it comes to finding Louis’ weak spots. He doesn’t even know how to respond to that, other than clinging onto Liam’s shoulders. It’s been way too long since he’s been touched and kissed like this. Russia has been a long time ago.

“Bedroom,” Louis says and uses both hands to grab Liam’s head and pulls it back up, leaning down again and kissing him again, while his hips rock forward, pressing his growing hard-on against Liam’s, making them both groan.

“No complains there,” Liam replies between two kisses and it takes him another minute or two of kissing and groping Louis before he stands up, just like this, and sweeps Louis up in his arms like he weighs nothing. For Liam, he probably doesn’t.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Louis breathes while he wraps his arms around Liam’s neck and his legs around his waist.

“Language, Louis.” Liam smiles at him. He manages to look incredibly sexy and cute at the same time. Louis might be a bit confused.

“Sorry,” he actually says and leans forward to nibble on Liam’s neck while he slowly walks them to the bedroom. “But _when_ do you find the time to work out?”

“Usually in the mornings,” Liam replies cheerfully, like it’s the most normal thing in the world. “I go for a run before work and to the gym afterwards. I’ve got a personal trainer.”

“Of course you do.” Louis nods and squeaks when Liam throws him onto the bed – it’s all part of the role he’s playing, of course, and _not_ because he’s actually surprised by the move. Liam is over him in about a second flat and Louis’ hands are busy roaming over his body again, already pulling up the blue polo shirt he’s wearing.

“Do you really want to talk about my work-out-schedule now, though?” Liam asks and grins. Smug little bastard. Louis pinches his left nipple and smiles in delight when Liam yelps at that. “What was that for?” He pinches Louis’ side and Louis squeaks again, mostly because he’s ticklish.

“You’re smug. I wanted to get this smug look off your face,” Louis explains and laughs, before bringing one hand to Liam’s neck again and grabbing the back of it, pulling him down in another kiss.

Liam’s laughter dies in the kiss and he lets his hands move again. He has Louis undressed in no time – mainly because Louis is a good boy about this and helps where he can. He really, desperately wants to have sex now. And when Liam’s finally naked above him, Louis can’t help but groan into his mouth, the feeling of skin to skin something he hasn’t felt in a long time. He pushes his hips into Liam’s touch when his warm, sweaty fingers wrap around his cock and he lets his head roll back into the pillows.

He’d wanted a blowjob, sex, everything, but right now, this is enough for the moment. Liam’s breathing against his neck while he pumps his cock in slow, firm strokes and Louis can’t help but gasp, fingers busy clinging onto Liam’s shoulders. “What do you want?” Liam asks against his neck and Louis wants to laugh, because this shouldn’t be about him.

“I want you to fuck me,” he says, because it’s the first thing that has come to his mind when thinking about sex with Liam. “And then I want to blow you. And I want your fucking mouth on me. And fuck, you don’t know how badly I want to fuck you.”

Liam laughs at that, hot and low against his neck before he bites down and sucks at the skin, probably leaving quite the visible mark. “We’ll get there, one at a time.” He pulls away from Louis, moving a little until he can rummage through his bedside drawer, probably looking for lube and a condom.

Louis blinks his eyes open and smiles at him, a little overwhelmed already. “Yeah,” he agrees, because he wants to do this more often. “Everything.”

Liam chuckles again and leans back down to kiss him, soft and gentle, a promise that makes Louis’ knees buckle and his cock twitch.

When Liam is two fingers deep inside him, Louis is groaning loudly, head thrown back and his own hand working on his cock, stroking it in time with Liam’s thrusts. He’s good at that, he really is. He’s making sure that Louis is enjoying himself, which he really fucking is. “Liam,” he mumbles and opens his eyes, pulling at Liam’s hair until he’s face to face with him again. “I really don’t want to wait anymore.”

Liam laughs at that – the smug little bastard laughs an awful lot during sex – and kisses him, shutting up every protest Louis could ever think of. He’d never thought that he’d be like this – both of them, actually, that they’d be so good together. But when Liam finally pushes his condom covered cock inside him, Louis lets himself fall. He wraps his arms and legs around Liam, pulling him in close while he searches for his lips and kisses him.

It’s not the longest sex Louis has ever had and it’s probably not the best either, but Liam is clearly trying his best at satisfying Louis in every possible way and Louis is moaning, loudly – fuck the neighbours, really. They should know that they’re having great sex.

Liam is thrusting into him, trying to hit the right angle, making both of them enjoy it. He finds Louis’ hands and links their fingers, pushing them against the mattress and over Louis’ head. And Louis gasps at that, the feeling of immobility during sex new, but strangely good. He bites down on Liam’s neck, trying to get his lips back on his. There’s just something about kissing Liam during sex, feeling his lips against his and his tongue in Louis’ mouth.

It really doesn’t take long for Louis to come, moaning against Liam’s lips as he does – his cock almost entirely untouched.  
He barely even registers Liam coming as well. Only when he slides out of him and sinks down, half on him, half on the bed, Louis gasps softly and rolls against Liam, blinking slowly. “We’ll definitely have to do this again.”

Liam laughs at that, again, and leans forward to kiss him, shutting him up before he can say anything else.

 

 

Louis must’ve fallen asleep in Liam’s arms because the next thing he notices is the body next to him shifting and gently pushing him away. He needs only a second to remember where he is before he blinks his eyes open and tries to focus on Liam. “Wha—?”

“I’m going for a run,” Liam whispers softly and presses his lips against Louis’ forehead. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Hm mhm.” Louis smiles sleepily and reaches up, running his fingers through Liam’s hair and softly rubbing over the back of his neck. It’s comfortable, domestic and nice and Louis really enjoys waking up like this. He can easily imagine having Liam as real boyfriend when he’s already treating him like one now.

“Good.” Liam chuckles and kisses him again, this time on the lips – really, a kiss with morning breath is never pleasant but Louis doesn’t want to complain at the moment. “Just stay here and look pretty. You can share a shower with me later.”

“That’s something I like.” Louis smiles up at him and lets his eyes fall shut again, snuggling back into the pillows. He watches through half-lidded eyes how Liam gets up and gets dressed in some running clothes. He’s mad, probably, for getting up at arse o’clock on a Saturday and going for a run. If Louis would have this life, he’d probably sleep in until noon.

Liam stops in the door, watching him for a minute – Louis is pretending to have fallen back to sleep and he doubts that Liam can see it in the semi-dark of the bedroom. There’s a fond smile on his face and Louis feels his stomach flutter. But before he can do anything stupid, Liam pulls away and is gone, leaving Louis alone in his flat.

Louis waits until he’s sure that Liam is gone, before he finally gets up and heads straight for the office Liam is keeping in a separate room. Someone like Liam probably takes a lot of work home with him and Louis still has a mission to accomplish.

He rummages through the files he can find, although most of it is just charity work. It seems like that Liam is really just one of these rare great guys who are using his money to change the world at least a tiny bit. Louis sighs at that and then turns the computer on.

He’s extremely sloppy with security – the password is easy to hack. Batman2000 isn’t the safest of them all, really. Louis can’t help but roll his eyes fondly. In the end, Liam just is a super dork, Louis finds and chuckles to himself.

All the files Liam has on his computer aren’t taking Louis anywhere. He doesn’t have the USB drive Niall gave him with him for a start and he doubts that Liam is keeping sensitive information –if there is any – in plain sight anyway.

So he just shuts down the computer again and goes back to bed, because that’s actually where Liam expects him to be when he comes back and there’s never been any harm in lying in a bed that must’ve cost a fortune. Liam will be back soon anyway. He makes a mental note to bring the USB drive with him the next time he comes over, just to cover all of the possibilities, even though he still doesn’t think that Liam is involved with anything.

He’s got to gain access to the computers at the company if he really wants to find out something about the drug money or the trafficking. He’s not even sure he’s going to find traces of the latter, but the first must be able to trace back to the real string puller of the operation. He doesn’t quite know how long it’ll take him, but he’s going to think of something anyway. As long as it keeps him on track with the mission, that is. And he’ll make sure to prove that Liam isn’t involved in anything.

 

~*~

 

“Well, at least you didn’t film it,” Niall says and Louis can hear him munching on his crisps again.

“No, sometimes I’m a decent person and I don’t want you to see everything. It’s bad enough that you’ve heard it. Has it been recorded?” Louis asks and eyes the love bite Liam has left on his neck carefully. He actually likes it.

“Yeah, but I deleted it. No worries, sunshine.” Niall laughs. “So, do you know how you can start and gather information? The computer in the flat was a dead end, right? And now you’ve gone and earned his thrust. So you could just waltz into his office and distract him.”

Louis shrugs. “I’ll go and befriend his personal assistant. They know stuff. He should probably know if something is going on in the company. I’m still not quite sure what to make of him but I’m definitely approaching the assistant angle. And _no_ , Nialler, I’m not going to seduce him.”

“Well, he’s cute.”

“I actually envy him for that hair,” Louis admits and steps away from the mirror before sitting down on the bed. “Also I’ve been thinking about spending some time at the company. You know, once I’ve befriended Harry, the assistant. Then I can probably gather some more information. I’ll think of something.”

“That’s my boy. Z’s going to be proud,” Niall says, making Louis chuckles.

“Of course he is. I’m like his best agent. There’s no one better than me,” Louis replies and looks down at his feet, trying to think about if he should forgo the socks.

“We all love your modesty. And put on some socks. It’s chilly,” Niall points out, probably because he knows Louis so well.

“Yes, mother.” Louis rolls his eyes and then sighs a little. “I should’ve called them. Right? I mean, I’m in the country and I’m having fancy dinners and getting expensive gifts. They should know that I’m okay.”

“They _know_ , Lou. We’re telling them. They know you’re okay. But you can’t blow your cover. It’s dangerous, even though it’s not Russia or China or North Korea.”

“I know.” Louis sighs. “But still. I feel like I’m a bad son and brother.”

“You’re not. You’re making sure that they’re safe when they don’t know where you are and what you’re doing.” Niall’s voice is soft and understanding and Louis really would like to hug him now.

“Thanks, Nialler,” he says instead.

“Any time. And now go and get your assignment done.” With that, Niall rings off and leaves Louis alone with his thoughts.

He loves his job, loves being an agent and he loves doing his duty for his country and making sure that his family is save by doing what he does. But he hates that he’s away from them so much, that he’s got to lie to them to protect them and that he can’t call them to tell them himself that they don’t need to worry.

Louis doesn’t even know what to tell Liam when he asks about his family. He actually wants to tell him the truth, that he can’t see them right now because of the contract with the escort service agency – which is sort of half true. But he’d know that Liam would probably try and get him to see his family and Louis really can’t let that happen. Not only would it jeopardise the mission, it would make Louis feel incredibly guilty for lying to Liam and he doesn’t quite know how to handle the feeling. He also doesn’t talk about his family during assignments, ever. And he’s not going to start doing so now.

 

~*~

 

Louis would’ve thought that gaining Liam’s trust was hard and that he had to work for it, try to lure his way into Liam’s life.

As it turns out, it’s not.

For all Louis knows, Liam is a well-known and successful CEO of a global running company and yet he’s like a big, trusting puppy. He trusts easily and lets Louis in on almost every aspect of his life, making it easy for Louis to try and work an angle at Liam. Even though he’s not quite sure if it is Liam who’s playing with him since he’s giving Louis the impression that he’s running their relationship. Louis doesn’t quite know how it works, but it does.

The events and the galas Liam takes him to are probably just an excuse to show Louis off. Liam has always this proud and smug look on his face when he comes into a room, with Louis tucked closely to his side, and all eyes are resting on them.

If Louis is totally honest with himself, it’s making him feel good as well. He knows he isn’t exactly ugly, when it comes down to it and he loves dressing up and being the centre of attention at Liam’s side. He probably shouldn’t enjoy it as much as he does, but he can’t help it. It’s who he is and he isn’t even sorry about it.

Liam makes sure that Louis is there a lot, that he’s spending the night as much as possible – it’s not about having sex all the time, even though it’s getting better and better and Louis can’t really complain about that. Liam’s got this attitude to be the best at everything, which probably explains how far he got on the company ladder, despite being a really nice guy, and right now he really wants to be the best at making Louis come. Like Louis would ever complain about something like this.

But it’s the quiet conversations they hold when they’re lying in bed, Liam’s fingers softly gracing over the warm skin on Louis’ back, dancing over his spine and making Louis’ skin tingle. “You know, I’ve been bullied in school?” Liam whispers, his voice soft but steady.

“Oh. I didn’t know that,” Louis replies and shifts a bit until he’s propped up on his arms and he can look at Liam. “How?”

“They called me fat, mostly, and a fag.” Liam shrugs, not looking up and meeting Louis’ eyes. “And I was pushed around a lot, mostly because I wasn’t as tall or anything. I was a bit shy.”

“Liam…” Louis frowns at him. It actually hurts him to see Liam like that, all vulnerable and open. He reaches out, softly cupping Liam’s face. “I’m so sorry.”

Liam smiles and this time he’s looking up and meeting Louis’ eyes. “I started boxing, so I could defend myself. Like, I needed to know for myself that I could, if really necessary. And once I had to. After that they left me alone, more or less.”

Louis smiles back, his thumb gracing over Liam’s cheekbone. “Well, look where you’re now. You’re some really successful CEO and I bet those fuckers haven’t even left their hometown. So there you go. Plus, you’ve got me.”

“That I have.” Liam laughs and wraps his arms around Louis, pulling him close against his chest. “And I’m never letting you go again. That is, until you don’t want to do this anymore, of course. We’ve got a contract and everything.”

“Stop worrying your pretty head over this, Li.” Louis leans down and presses a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m not going anywhere at the moment. So just, enjoy it, will you? It’s the best we can do anyway.”

“You’re really just living in the moment, are you? Not worrying about the future?” Liam asks, his fingers resuming to stroke over Louis’ back.

“What’s the point in planning ahead? One never knows what’s coming anyway. For all I know, I could die tomorrow. And what if I haven’t made the most of today then?” Louis chuckles and bites down on Liam’s lower lip, softly nibbling.

“That’d be a shame, really,” Liam says and rolls them over until Louis is lying on top of him. “You dying tomorrow, I mean. Not us making the most of today.”

“You know, I’m not planning to die, really. I’m just saying, one never knows. Although it might seem like it, I don’t make this money for fun. But it’s still a lot of fun making it. I’ve got bills to pay and everything.” Louis sits up so that he’s straddling Liam’s thighs and grins down at him. “Right now I really don’t want to talk about what’s to come in the future, though.”

“No?” Liam grins back, his hands moving to Louis’ thighs, gently stroking over them. “What do you have in mind then?”

Instead of telling Liam, Louis shows him, for the second time that night that living in the moment is actually the best thing that could happen to them. He likes the easy conversations they have in bed, sure, but it’s beginning to make him sad that Liam will never know the real him. The real Louis, who’s just as equally sappy as Liam, who wants to get married and have children and settle down somewhere nice.

 

It’s frustrating, really, that with Liam he doesn’t even have to lie much. He can tell him about the dreams he’s had as teenager, about how he didn’t make it at the X-Factor because the judges thought he didn’t have it in him and how he still wanted to do something important, something that mattered to him. Like, making it to the big stage, chasing his dream. Even though he’s probably never going to make it.

“Why’s that?” Liam asks softly, his hand is running up and down Louis’ back softly again, something he seems to enjoy quite a lot.

“Because that’s just not me. I’m not that kind of guy.” Louis shrugs a little and smiles sadly, knowing that the dream he’s had as teenager is probably never going to become true. Not after he’s been a secret agent for so long. It wouldn’t be the wisest choice to make himself known to the public like this. One could never know who was watching.

“You won’t know until you’ve tried it,” Liam says and leans forward to kiss him gently. “You’ve got to work for it.”

Louis chuckles, because of course Liam would say something like that. As far as Louis knows, Liam has worked for everything in his life pretty damn hard. But he just doesn’t know how. Especially with his current job. It’s not like he can just waltz in, step on stage and start playing theatre. People would _recognise_ him. And then he’d be in big trouble.

 

~*~

 

Befriending Harry is actually way easier than Louis would’ve anticipated. Harry, like Liam, is extremely trusting and once he has overcome his concerns about Louis just using Liam for fame or money – which is a bit ridiculous, really, considering what contract they signed – he’s nice and charming and obviously glad that Louis is trying to be friends with him.

Liam seems to be pleased as well – especially since Louis drops by the office every now and then and distracts him with blowjobs under the desk. Not that Louis would mind, really. He loves giving head and Liam is always so thankful in the evening, making up for all of Louis’ troubles.

And Louis is really doing his best at gathering information. But Harry is more likely to give out information about Nick from marketing and his latest conquest which Louis isn’t really interested in hearing about. As much as he agrees to Nick being a great guy, from everything that Harry is telling him, that’s just not what Louis needs to hear.

He plays the game for a few weeks – he can’t really keep it up much longer, especially since no new information is coming out of this and he knows from Niall that the bosses at the agency are getting more and more impatient by the minute. He has checked the computer in Liam’s flat with the USB drive and didn’t come up with anything useful. Neither had checking the files Liam keeps in his home office. So by now, Louis is a little bit desperate to get his hands on data he could use.

So he does what he can do and spills tea on Harry’s lap.

“Ow! Fuck! Lou!” Harry whines and jumps up and Louis almost feels sorry for him because it’s hot, it really is, and it’s got to hurt.

“God, Haz!” Louis pulls a face and hands him some paper towels that are lying on Harry’s desk in case of an emergency – what this probably is. “I’m so, so, so sorry.”

“Fuck. My trousers are ruined,” Harry says, obviously more concerned about his fashion than the state of his groin what really shouldn’t tell Louis as much as it does.

“Better go and wash it out then,” he says and nods towards Harry’s desk. “I’ll take any calls and will say that Liam’s busy shagging his lovely boyfriend right now.” He flinches a bit at the words because he’s not really sure if that’s what they are – but Liam has always introduced him as boyfriend or partner anyway, so he’s just going along with it, really, personal preferences aside.

Harry chews on his lower lip for a moment before he finally nods. “I’ll be back in like five seconds. Please don’t make me lose my job.”

“I won’t.” Louis grins and holds up his hands. “Promised. It’d be totally boring without you and I wouldn’t know what to do with myself all day.”

Harry gives him a look that he believes Louis as much as Louis would believe himself and then he’s gone, running off into the direction of the toilets. Louis waits until he’s sure that Harry is gone and then he sits down, quickly plugging in the USB drive and running Niall’s software over Harry’s computer and the company’s network.

He doesn’t quite know what programme Niall has written but Louis is sure it’s as good as ever. Some kind of algorithm that is searching for suspicious money transactions, as far as he’s understood correctly. Tech babble really isn’t his strong suit.

He’s nibbling on his lower lip, willing the programme to run faster because he’s not quite sure how long Harry will be gone. Thus far it hasn’t provided any good information and Louis is slowly but surely starting to get impatient. He really needs this. He wants this assignment to be successful and he wants it to be someone else than Liam so he can make sure that Liam can keep his job and keep raising money for children in need.

When a window pops up on the screen, Louis’ interest sparks up. He stares at the name, trying to memorise it, even though the USB drive has probably downloaded all data anyway and the agency can use it to find him again.

Harvey Kent.

Louis shakes his head. Someone up there is really messing with him. He shakes his head and unplugs the USB drive before he sits back on the table, swinging his legs as if he’s never done anything. His mind is busy trying to figure out who this Kent person is. He hasn’t heard Liam say anything about him so far. But then Liam has never talked to Louis about his work anyway. He’s going to find out what that guy does in this company, how he uses it to hide his money transactions. He’ll just have to try and weasel some basic information about him out of Harry or Liam, so he knows what or, to be more precise, who he is up against.

Harry comes rushing back in, pulling Louis out of his thoughts. He looks miserable and there’s a large stain on his crotch. “What did I miss?” He asks, almost breathless.

Louis chuckles. “Nothing. Your phone didn’t even ring. Relax, Haz.” He hands him a chocolate bar he has nicked from Harry’s very own secret stash and smiles at him.

“But look at my trousers.” Harry pouts, actually pouts at him and shakes his head. “They’re ruined now.”

“Have some chocolate,” Louis says, “and we’ll get them fixed. Or I’ll have Liam buy you new ones.

“You can’t.” Harry shakes his head. “He pays my salary. You can’t beg him into buying new clothes for me.”

“Well, then I’m going to buy you new ones because he’s paying my salary, too, and I can’t stand your mopey sad face,” Louis replies and pinches Harry’s cheek before hopping off the desk. “He’s still in that meeting?”

Harry nods. “I’m afraid so. Will still be for another two hours.”

“Two hours? What can people even discuss in two hours?” Louis shakes his head. “No, I don’t even want to know. Please don’t bore me with the details.” He chuckles. “Okay, you know what? I’m gonna go home and try to get some rest because I didn’t catch much sleep last night.” He wiggles his eyebrows and laughs when Harry pulls a face.

“He’s my _boss_ , Lou. Really, I don’t need to know what the two of you did or didn’t do in the bedroom last night.” Harry runs a hand through his hair and breathes out a sigh, already staring at his monitor again.

“Maybe you should ask Nick from marketing out on a date,” Louis suggests. “Just saying. He’d like it, I’m sure.”

Harry’s eyebrows knit together and he’s giving Louis a confused look. “Sorry, I’ve got to get back to work.”

“Yeah, Sure.” Louis smiles and leans down to brush a soft kiss to Harry’s cheek. “Still having coffee tomorrow after you’re done here?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.” Harry smiles back and slaps Louis’ bum, making the older one yelp in surprise.

 

~*~

 

“We’ve run a background check on Kent. He’s clean,” Zayn says and Louis can hear him sigh. He’d love to see his face right now.

“But he can’t be! Niall’s programme picked him out. I’m sure it’s him.” Louis sinks back into his armchair and sighs in frustration. “There’s got to be something you have on him. Like, tracing back accounts or whatever.”

“He launders his money through the company he’s working for and tying everything back to him is difficult. You’ve got to catch him red-handed.”

“It’s not like he’s bringing suitcases full of money to work, is it?” Louis asks back and punches the arm rest. “But I’m trying to figure something out. I really am.”

“And Louis? Please don’t forget to work on Liam – not like that, thank you very much. You’ve still got to find out if he’s involved in Kent’s business or if he really doesn’t know. And as much as I’d like to take your word for it, I really can’t. I need proof that Kent is working alone or who his associates are.” Zayn’s voice is soft and reassuring and Louis hates him for knowing him so well.

And he really hates himself that he’s been willing to sacrifice the whole mission just because he doesn’t want to incriminate Liam with something he probably didn’t even do. He’s really got to get a grip and not let himself slip and fall. He’s got a job to do and getting distracted is not part of the plan Louis has had for himself.

“I _know_ ,” he says and nods, as if reassuring himself that he’s still got everything he needs. “I really know. But cut me some slack, yeah? I’m trying really hard and I can’t just pull out of the mission anyway. I’ve got to ease him out. I don’t want to… I can’t—“

Zayn sighs and it’s his turn to say, “I know. Just make sure to figure something out quickly.”

“I will. Promised.”

 

~*~

 

“You know, I think you’re doing Liam some good,” Harry says and smiles at Louis over his cup of coffee before taking a sip.

Louis cocks his head to the side and eyes Harry carefully. “What do you mean?” Liam is a good guy, Louis has noticed that. At least he’s been good to him. There’s not even a single thing Louis could point out that Liam Payne has done to him that could even be considered as wrongdoing. He’s like a fucking saint, up until now, not counting his little dirty side in bed, of course. And Louis’ mission is to find something that ties that man to drug business – or at least laundering drug money.

“You’re like, making him a better person,” Harry explains and smiles. “He’s working less and spending more time with you. Before you… were around,” Harry’s face goes through a lot of different expressions while he chooses his words carefully, “like, you’re making him realise that there’s something else out there that’s important and that’s not work.”

“It can’t be just me,” Louis says and shakes his head. “But, he’s been working out, yeah? And doing other stuff, like, watching movies or something, right? Before me, I mean.”

“But he’s been spending a lot of time more or less alone. Liam’s… he’s not the kind of person who likes to be on his own a lot. It makes him sad and silent and he pulls back into himself further, I guess. And you’re making him smile again. It’s nice.” Harry shrugs but he looks glad that he’s finally able to talk about it.

Louis really doesn’t know what to make of it, so he just shrugs and makes a face. He wants Liam to be happy, sure. But he can’t be the sole reason why he’s smiling again, really. Liam’s a great guy and he’s earned to fall in love and find someone real. But Louis doesn’t want it to be him, this version of him. After all, he’s just a random hooker – or at least he’s pretending to be. It’s confusing, even to him.

Liam might like the thought of being with someone, if he’s indeed been this lonely before, and not the thought of being with _Louis_ per se. Louis isn’t even sure if Liam likes him that much. It’s easy to confuse great orgasms with feelings, especially if Liam has been alone for a long time now. Louis doesn’t even know what to do anymore. He needs to figure out how to focus on the mission again and not let his feelings get in the way. He used to be a way better spy before he’d met Liam.

Harry’s words confuse him, a lot, if he’s really honest with himself. He’s been expecting it for a while now, but he hasn’t given it much thought because he’s been trying to get himself on track with the mission again. But Louis might just have fallen in love with someone he wasn’t supposed to have feelings for in the first place. Because this feels bigger than a simple crush. He truly is fucked.

Harry smiles at him. “You’ll figure out what I mean soon, I think.” He takes another sip of his coffee, quickly downing it.

Louis furrows his brow in confusion. He doesn’t quite understand what Harry means, or doesn’t want to, so he just takes a sip of his own tea and then grins at him, completely ignoring the nagging feeling in his stomach that he shouldn’t take things so lightly. “So, tell me about Nick from marketing. Have you asked him out yet?”

Harry’s whole face breaks into a grin. “Actually, I did.”

“And?” Louis kicks him under the table. “What? Tell me!”

“He said yes.” Harry beams at him and then bites his lip. “We’ll go out on Friday.”

“You’ve got to tell me how that went,” Louis says and grins at him, nudging him softly. The ‘I told you so’ is heavy on his tongue but Harry looks just incredibly happy, so Louis bites it back and keeps it for another time.

 

~*~

 

It turns out, once Louis has figured out who is his real target, he’s working a lot more efficiently and target oriented. He wants to make sure that he can tie everything to Kent – and nothing to Liam. Despite his better knowledge of not jumping to conclusions, he’s sure that Liam isn’t involved in anything because he couldn’t be. He’s probably the nicest guy Louis has ever met. Even though normally Louis wouldn’t just assume anything like this, with this case, nothing seems normal.

He’s tracked Kent actions back to accounting and he’s finally found the right figures when he stumbles over something that is definitely Liam’s signature. “No,” Louis whispers and screws his eyes shut for a moment. “It can’t be.” He opens them again and stares at the scribbled letters. He’s got to have it checked for forgery, because there’s no way on earth he’s going to believe that this is Liam’s signature. That Liam’s been doing illegal – anything, really. Liam is a good guy and he’s not laundering drug money and trafficking poor human beings from half around the globe. Louis refuses to believe that.

Zayn isn’t so sure though. Once Louis has presented his findings to the agency, Zany calls him immediately and wants to know if he’s found out more.

“Of course I haven’t.” Louis rolls his eyes and slumps down on his couch. “I’ve wanted to find out if Liam has anything to do with it. Like, proper. It can’t be his signature. It must be forged. It doesn’t even look real.”

“It probably is. Sorry, Lou.” Zayn sighs. “We’re still running analyses and tests, but it looks like he’s involved in laundering drug money. Maybe he can lead us to the drug bosses. You know what you’ll have to do.”

“I know.” Louis closes his eyes and pretends he doesn’t have to. “And I won’t disappoint you, Z, promised.” He’s not sure if he can hold that up to himself. Because in the end, one of them is getting hurt and Louis has got the feeling that it’s going to be him.

 

~*~

 

“So, I was wondering, would you like to meet my parents?” Liam asks, his arm wrapped tightly around Louis’ shoulders while they’re snuggled up on the couch.

“What? – Oh.” Louis raises his eyebrows. “You sure? I mean, what would you like to tell them? Hey, mum and dad, that’s Louis, he’s my hooker?”

“ _No_ ,” Liam says and shakes his head, frowning at Louis.

“But that’s what I am, in the end. So you might just as well stick to the truth,” Louis says and shrugs. He knows it’s not fair to Liam, because he’s been the world’s best – well, whatever. He’s been treating Louis nicely and Louis has liked it. Has liked it so much, he’s gone and fallen in love with him. But now that his assignment is finally leading somewhere Louis knows that he’s got to ease Liam into breaking up with him, into ending the contract with him, so he won’t get hurt in the end. Because that’s actually something Louis still cares about.

“You’re so much more, Louis,” Liam says softly and cups his face, looking him straight in the eye. And Louis wants to cry, he really does, because Liam is so sincere, so trusting, it physically hurts him.

“I’m not, actually. We’ve got a contract. I’m still nothing more than a high class hooker.” Louis shrugs. He’s got to use harsh words with Liam or he won’t understand, won’t get a grip and be a proper grown-up about this.

“I’ve been thinking about ending the contract,” Liam admits.

“You’ve _what_?”

“But I didn’t know how to tell you because you said you needed the money for your studies and I really don’t want you to have to find another job or another client or whatever. I want this to be more than just what we are.” Liam leans forward and brushes his lips against Louis’, a soft promise of something they could be, but aren’t yet and probably never will be, if Louis’ real life is taken into consideration.

“But…” Louis shakes his head. “I… No. I mean, you can’t do that, right?” He actually doesn’t know what to say.

“Of course I can do it.” Liam smiles and gently cups his cheek, thumb stroking over his cheekbone. “But this is about what you want, too. I’d even pay for your studies if that means you’ll stay with me.”

“But…” Louis’ eyebrows knit together because it’s actually too much for him to handle. He’s not been briefed for this. He’s never had the proper training to know what to do in a situation like this. And he’s sure he should know what to do, know how to be the proper spy and just act on it. But right now, in this very moment, he’s just Louis and he feels incredibly safe in Liam’s arms. Feels warm and secure and loved and he doesn’t want to give it up. He really doesn’t.

“I won’t do it, if you don’t want me to,” Liam says again, his voice sincere and trusting, another punch to Louis’ throat.

“Oh Liam.” It’s all Louis says because he can’t find his voice, can’t say more, so he just leans forward and kisses him, shutting him up. It hurts to hear Liam say that he wants more because even if Louis successfully closes the mission, there’s no way that Liam will want to stay with him after Louis has lied to him so much. He’s not sure how he got so mixed up in everything, how he could question his job and his loyalty over a man. But Louis feels the ground beneath his feet slip away. He’s really close to telling Liam everything, to spilling the beans and ruining everything.

But he doesn’t say anything.

Instead, he sleeps with Liam and makes sure both of them have a night to remember once everything is over and Louis is back doing proper spy work all around the globe.

 

~*~

 

Louis has the feeling that he is the world’s worst spy. Ever. Past tense and present tense and probably for the next five hundred years of secret agents to come. He hasn’t yet figured it out how to neglect his feelings and work efficiently without doubting everything he does. There is always a small voice in the back of his head, telling him that Liam could never, ever have done anything of what the agency accused him of.

So it’s actually no help at all that Liam continuously tells him to end the contract. “You could move in with me,” he says at one point and grins at Louis, tucking softly at his hand and pulling Louis closer to him until he drops onto Liam’s lap. “You practically live here anyway and when you’d move in, I could keep a better eye on you.”

“Am I in trouble?” Louis asks and chuckles a little, leaning back against Liam’s chest anyway. “Have I done something wrong?”

Liam laughs against his neck and wraps his arms around Louis’ waist, hugging him close. “I’m quite sure you’ve messed up enough in your life. You’re probably no angel.”

“That might be true,” Louis agrees and looks down at Liam’s hands on his stomach. Something is off, he can tell. He’s not quite sure what it is though. There are a few alarm bells ringing in his head. Maybe Liam is catching on to him. That somehow, he doesn’t quite know how, he has figured out that Louis is after him and now he’s already planning how to get rid of him.

“Once you’ve moved in, we could get a puppy. So it could look after you when I’m not around to do it,” Liam continues, his voice soft and close to Louis’ ear. “Like, protect you, from burglars or whatever.”

“Liam.” Louis laughs and turns around to look at his face, taking in the fond look that Liam throws back at him. “You’ve got like the highest security system in the world. I bet it’s even better than the Queen’s or whatever. No one is going to break in. And it’s not like a puppy could protect me from that. It would probably be the other way round, you see, with me having to protect the puppy.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.” Liam shrugs and wraps his arms tighter around Louis, pulling him in until he is straddling him.

“I won’t. Unless you want me to.” Louis waggles his eyebrows and grins when Liam blushes. “Aw, look at your face.”

Liam rolls his eyes. “I’m serious, Louis. It’s a cruel world and I worry about you.”

And there is it again, another thing that sets off all kind of alarms in Louis’ head. “I’m not going to get hurt,” he says and wraps his arms around Liam’s neck. “Period. You’ve got bodyguards and everything. Trust me. I’ve had worse.”

Liam doesn’t look overly convinced but at least he lets the subject drop by pulling Louis’ head down to his and kissing him. It’s one way to shut Louis up, he’s got to admit, and a nice one at hand as well. Louis sighs into Liam’s mouth and sinks further against him, happily responding to the kiss.

But his mind is racing anyway. Liam can’t be that smart. He can’t have figured out who Louis is, what he’s after. Louis has been incredibly careful and thoughtful with everything he’s planted and worked out. There’s hardly a thing Liam could’ve suspected. Louis doesn’t leave traces and he’s sure that he’s lulled Liam in enough that he’d probably buy him the world if Louis just asked nicely enough. So maybe Louis overreacts when he worries about this now. He makes a mental note to tell Niall during their next phone call anyway.

Liam pulls back and smiles up at him, one hand moving up to gently cup Louis’ cheek. “And we could end the contract. You could come and work for me, at the company, I mean. Then I’d still pay you, but not for, well, your services. But you’d still do honest work.”

Louis frowns at him. “You want me to work for you? But don’t you have, like, a policy that you shouldn’t shag your employees?”

“I guess I’d make an exception for you.” Liam chuckles and bites down on Louis’ neck, making him gasp in surprise. “But then I’d have you around most of the time and wouldn’t need to worry so much about you.”

“You don’t need to worry, Li.” Louis sighs and pulls Liam’s head back, looking him in the eye and smiling at him. “I’m a grown-up. I can look after myself.”

“I’m just saying.” Liam shrugs and leans his head against Louis’ shoulder, closing his eyes and sighing softly.

“I know.” Louis bites his lip and runs his fingers through Liam’s hair, softly scratching over his scalp. He doesn’t get Liam. He really doesn’t. He’s extremely trusting on one hand. But on the other it’s like he wants to check out every step Louis takes and wants to keep an eye on everything he does.

Louis really has to be extremely careful around him. He should to talk to Niall and let him set his head straight. There’s just so much that Louis needs to figure out – he’s not quite sure if Liam truly is the guy he’s pretending to be.

“But, let’s just assume for a minute that I might be interested in working for you. What job would you have in mind for me?” Louis asks, blinking up innocently at Liam and giggling a bit.

“Oh, I could picture you anywhere, really. You’d find a way to wind yourself in and make yourself useful,” Liam answers and laughs at that. “I could make you my assistant?”

“That would be a bit too obvious, wouldn’t it? Or did you shag Harry?”

“I did not have sex with Harry!” Liam actually looks bewildered at that and shakes his head. “So not as an assistant. Where would you see yourself then?”

“Oh, I love working with numbers,” Louis lies easily, seeing the chance he’s been hoping for. “I’ve always wanted to. If I had picked a different field I’d probably end up working in accounting or something. I love how this global transactions work. I mean, you can probably buy half of China, if you want to, and no one would suspect a thing because your company would do it. It’s great.”

Liam furrows his brow and tilts his head to the side. “You’ve actually put some thought into this.”

“Yeah, but just, like on my free time.” Louis smiles sweetly. “It’s nothing major, really. I’ve always been interested in how these global financial trades work, that’s all. And your company is highly active on the global market. It’d be great to peek into it. But don’t worry. I’m fine like this anyway. Plus I bet you wouldn’t pay me better money than this while I was working for you at your company.”

Liam laughs at that. “So it’s all about the money with you.”

“Told you. I’ve got a family to provide for.” Louis shrugs and chuckles. “Besides, I think I’m pretty rather than smart, so I’ve got to use my assets.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re stupid but I can’t argue with your prettiness,” Liam replies and leans down to kiss him again, shutting down every attempt of Louis to speak back.

Louis sighs into the kiss, a bit out of relief that Liam hasn’t caught onto him. He almost blew his cover but he managed to convince him that he didn’t, luckily. He’s got to get his A-game back on track or he’s going to go down and he won’t even have made any progress. He is also relieved that he distracted Liam enough that he doesn’t ask about Louis’ family. That’s not something that happens easily to him. He doesn’t slip like this, not normally. His family is everything to him and during an assignment it’s unthinkable for him to talk about them, seeing the possibility of endangering them. Yet he did in front of Liam. Another thing he needs to be a little more careful about.

 

~*~

 

Louis looks up when there’s a knock on the door to Liam’s office. He’s sitting on Liam’s desk, being inappropriate, mostly. But Liam doesn’t seem like he wants him to move. He places his hand on Louis’ thigh and smiles up at him before turning his attention to the door. “Come in!”

It takes Louis a lot of willpower that his facial expression doesn’t slip then and there. Harvey Kent walks into the room and he’s grinning like he has just won the lottery. Louis does feel a bit sick.

Liam gets up and smiles at Kent, shaking his hand. “Harvey. I’d like you to meet Louis.” He gestures to Louis and nods at him, waiting until Louis has slid off the desk. “Louis, Harvey is my most trusted employee. He’s handling almost all of the company’s money transactions, especially the foreign ones.”

“Harvey Kent, it’s very nice to meet you. I’ve heard quite a lot about you,” Kent says and reaches out his hand for Louis. He’s still grinning and Louis feels the urge to punch him in the face.

“Louis Wayne. Nice to meet you, too. I haven’t heard anything about you yet, but it’s nice that Liam talks about me.” Louis smiles back and shakes his hand, trying to stare him down as he does so. Kent really gives him a funny feeling, yet Louis can’t quite pinpoint what it is exactly.

“Only the best,” Kent replies and chuckles. “What can I do for you, Liam?”

“Please, have a seat.” Liam gestures for him to sit down before he moves behind his desk again, waving Louis over so he comes to stand next to him. Once Liam and Kent have sat down, Liam smiles up at Louis. “I’ve been wondering, you have spoken about an opening in your department. Maybe you could make an effort to try and put Louis in.”

“You want me to find a job for your boyfriend?” Kent raises and eyebrow and Louis decides that he doesn’t like him. Well, aside from disliking him already for all of his wrongdoings.

“It would be highly appreciated, yes.” Liam smiles, this time it isn’t nice. And Louis finally does get the feeling of how Liam could have become a CEO of such a successful company. His tone suggests that this isn’t a request, it’s an order.

Kent grits his teeth before he forces out a smile. “I’ll have to talk to Betsy and find out if there’s any slot available where we can put him. It’ll take some time.”

“Report back to me by the end of the week. I guess it shouldn’t be so hard to find something to do for him, right?” Liam asks back and watches Kent get up.

“Sure. I’ll see what I can do.” With that, Kent stalks back to the door and leaves, without giving them another look.

Louis raises his eyebrows before he bursts out laughing and hops onto Liam’s desk again. “I guess he doesn’t like me,” he says and pulls Liam closer, until he’s sitting between his legs.

“Well, I don’t like him either,” Liam replies and wraps his arms around Louis’ waist, letting his fingers run up and down over his back.

“But you said he’s your most trustworthy employee?” Louis frowns at him, taking in every muscle in Liam’s face.

“Doesn’t mean I’ve got to like him.” Liam shrugs. “He’s very good at his job but he’s not the nicest guy I know.” He shrugs. “But I guess he’s easy to work with, especially since he can’t fire you or I would fire him.”

“You would?” Louis raises his eyebrows before he smiles down at Liam. “You know what? You’re the best!”

Liam chuckles. “I know. But I want to keep you around. Can you blame me?”

“I could kiss you right now.”

“What’s keeping you from it?” Liam grins up at him and then pulls Louis’ head down, capturing his lips in a promising kiss.

 

~*~

 

“He put me directly under Kent’s nose,” Louis tells Niall and shakes his head. “I mean, _what_ is his game? Is he in on this? Is he trying to set me up? I just don’t know with him.” He sighs and rubs over his temple, trying to prevent the unpleasant throbbing to spread into a full-on headache.

“Well, if you wouldn’t let him screw you out of your mind all the time, then you’d probably work a lot more focussed,” Niall offers, like always, not being any help at all.

“Ha ha,” Louis says and groans. “Really, Nialler, I need your help. I don’t know what to think. My gut says that Liam isn’t involved in anything. He’s a too great guy for dealing with stuff like that. He doesn’t even trust Kent, he told me himself.”

“Yeah, and what if he’s playing you?” Niall asks back. “He doesn’t have to like the guy, he just has to like the money he makes with him. It’s quite a lucrative business, laundering drug money, you know? You’ve got to clear your mind, Louis. Z’s going to have your head if you doesn’t bring in results soon.”

“He wouldn’t,” Louis says and squeezes his eyes shut. “I’m really trying, N, I’m trying. But I can’t force him to give me the information I want, can I?”

“You could try?”

“Not helping.”

“Well, you need to figure out a way to get hold of Kent’s computer. I guess the transactions will be well hidden. But with the algorithm on the USB drive you’ll probably be able to find out what he’s been hiding all along,” Niall says, way too cheerfully for Louis’ liking.

“You think I can clear Liam’s name with this, too? Showing that his signature has been forged?”

“ _Louis_. You’ve really got bigger problems to worry about than your fake-boyfriend.” Niall pauses for a moment. “Oh no. Louis. You didn’t.”

Louis sighs. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I’d feared something like this would happen. Should we send in backup? You can hardly do it on your own if you’re dealing with your confused feelings, too. Russia hasn’t been your most glorious work, y’know?”

“But I _did_ get the job done,” Louis replies. “I _don’t_ need backup. I can do it on my own.”

“Fine. I’m not telling Z yet. But if you just imagine thinking that Kent is on to you, I’ll have to tell him and you’ll get the backup you need. Okay?”

“Yes. But that won’t happen.” Louis rolls his eyes and rings off, not even waiting for Niall’s reply. He knows that he can do it. He can show them that he’s still a good spy, that he’s still got what it takes to be one of the best agents they have. It just may take him a moment to come back on track and figure it all out.

 

~*~

 

“Harvey told me he’s found work you could do,” Liam says and pulls Louis closer to him until he’s sitting on his lap. “That means, you can start working for the company and we can end the contract, period.” He bites down on his lip and gives Louis an expectant look, almost like a too big child on Christmas.

“Oh.” Louis pulls a face. “I guess that’s great.”

“What? I thought you’d be excited?” Liam frowns up at him, confusion showing on his face.

“It is! It really is. I mean, I’ve wanted to do something like that my whole life – aside from playing theatre, of course. But I just don’t know if I’m the right guy for the job?” Louis shrugs a little and takes Liam’s hand into his, linking their fingers together. “What if I’m really useless? You would have to let me go, eventually, because you can’t keep someone around who doesn’t know shit, just because you’re sleeping with him.”

Liam sighs. “What do you want me to do, Louis? I’m trying. I’m really trying to get you out of this contract, to make this into something real.”

“I know.” Louis cups Liam’s face with one hand and leans down to kiss him softly. “You could let me work on probation for a time? Just until we’ve figured out if I’m the right guy for the job and then we could end the contract. It’s a win-win for either of us. So you don’t have to worry about me doing something stupid and having to fire me again and I don’t have to be super careful to not fuck up on the first day.”

Liam raises an eyebrow. “It’s actually not _that_ stupid.”

“Of course it isn’t. It’s my idea. It’s brilliant.” Louis grins when Liam pulls him closer and kisses him again, giving his bum a little slap.

“Modesty isn’t one of your strong suits.”

“Nope, never was and never will be.” Louis grins and wraps his arms around him. “C’mon, you know it’s a great idea. That way we both know it’s not that bad if I actually fuck up at this.”

Liam considers it for a moment. “Alright, I’ll talk to Harvey about it. He’s probably going to say yes. I mean, we’re saving a lot of money when you’re working for free. But it still doesn’t feel right. I think you should be paid for the work you’re doing.”

Louis chuckles and moves to straddle Liam’s lap, getting comfortable. “Oh, I’m already getting paid a lot for the work I’m doing with you. And it’s quite some fun as well.”

Liam laughs at that and wraps his arms around Louis, pulling him flush against his chest. “Well, in that case I think there’s some work you could be doing tonight.” He leans forward, letting his lips ghost over the sensitive skin on Louis’ neck.

“Really?” Louis gasps and brings one hand up, letting his finger slide through Liam’s hair. “I hope it does involve a lot less clothes than right now.”

“Oh yes. Also a lot of riding.” Liam slaps his bum again, making Louis’ hips jerk forward and him moan low in his throat. By now it’s not an act for him anymore. He really, honestly enjoys the amount of sex he’s having with Liam. It’s a thing that doesn’t help him with his focus as well, Niall might be right about it in the end.

“I think I can do that,” Louis replies and pulls Liam’s head back to kiss him, licking into his mouth while he rocks his hips against Liam’s.

“Glad we could work things out,” Liam mumbles back between kisses, one hand already busy pulling Louis’ t-shirt up.

“Would you please shut up now?” Louis bites down on Liam’s lower lip, catching the laughter that’s bubbled up. At least Liam doesn’t have to say anything about it. Instead he pulls Louis into another kiss, before tucking his t-shirt over his head.

 

~*~

 

As it turns out, working for Kent isn’t exactly easy. He’s watching Louis like a hawk, trying to find every mistake that he’s making and blaming him for everything he can even think of. Of course, Louis hasn’t been born yesterday, but it still doesn’t help him to get to Kent’s computer and find out what he’s been hiding and what he is up to.

Despite Louis’ efforts on working hard on getting the results everyone has been hoping for, Z isn’t pleased with his work. Of course, Niall had eventually told him that Louis might or might not have fallen in love with Liam – even though Louis has been trying really hard to convince Niall and even himself that it’s all just part of his role and that he can concentrate on getting the job done. He just hasn’t convinced either. It’s hardly his fault that Kent is a suspicious little bastard that does most of his work on his phone and keeps it around 24/7.

He does have a small weakness though, which takes Louis only four days to figure out. Every day, at around half past two in the afternoon, he feels the urge to eat a candy bar. It’s cliché, really, but Louis can’t bring himself to care. He isn’t around for commenting on other people’s eating habits. He’s here to do his job. He waits until Kent’s assistant is gone as well, probably she’s just taking a leak, that he risks it. He hurries into Kent’s office and shuts the door behind him.

It’s neat and organised, there isn’t even one file lying around. So everything that can help Louis right now is the computer. He presses “ENTER”, firing it up again. Really, Kent can’t be this sloppy with his work, considering. Louis isn’t even asked to enter a password.

He tabs on the left side of the frame of the glasses he’s wearing, waiting for Niall’s voice to plop up in his ear. “You’re getting this, N?”

“Loud and clear,” Niall replies and munches on crisps again.

“Seriously, would you please _stop_ doing that? You’re crunching directly in the mic and it hurts my ear. So shh.” Louis rolls his eyes and sits down on the desk.

“Sorry.” He can hear Niall put away the bag and then he’s taking a deep breath. “So you’re in?”

“Yeah. Didn’t even have a password on his computer. Either he’s stupid or he thinks he doesn’t have anything to hide.” Louis plugs the USB drive into the slot and waits. “So, I just plugged in the drive. We’ll have to wait, I guess?”

“It shouldn’t take long. How long till he comes back?”

“Normally he takes about ten minutes, give or take. I guess the brunette is working at the shop today. So maybe he could be gone five minutes longer.” Louis chuckles a little to himself and waits for the algorithm to search for the money transactions.

“Good. You should be gone before he comes back.”

“Really, N? I wouldn’t have thought of that myself.” Louis rolls his eyes. “How long does it take for this algorithm to find anything? It seems like it’s running miles here.”

“Depends on how well he’s hidden the transactions. And I guess he’s done a pretty good job since no one has ever suspected a thing. Might be going through a lot of different companies.”

Louis sighs and glances at his watch. “Time’s running short here.” He scratches the back of his neck, starting to feel nervous. Normally he’s calmer when it comes to his work, knowing he can save his ass in almost every situation. But there’s a lot at stake here and it’s not just his ass that’s on the line. He’s still convinced that Liam can’t be involved in this and he wants some hard evidence to back up his theory.

A whole series of different accounts stationed all around the globe pop up on the screen. “You’re getting this, N?”

“The picture is perfectly clear,” Niall replies. “Fuck, there are like fifty different accounts and firms, mostly in South Africa and South America. It’ll take a lot of time to go through all of this and tie him to anything.”

“I don’t have a lot of time at hand, N.” Louis glances at his watch again. “Can’t you make this run any faster?”

“Sorry. The algorithm needs time to calculate everything and the more accounts there are, the longer it takes. You’ll have to be patient.”

“Patience isn’t exactly my strong suit, you know?” Louis glances at the door. He’s suspecting Kent to come back every minute. “I really don’t want to get caught, you know?”

“Just a minute more. There’s a whole lot of data coming in. I don’t even know how to process this correctly.”

“Where there any calls while I was gone?” Kent’s voice sounds from outside his office door, asking Betsy, his assistant.

“Fuck.” Louis gets up from the chair and grabs the USB drive.

“Not from any clients, sir. Mr. Payne has requested to see you, though,” Betsy replies at the same time as Niall says, “Not yet! Another one, just this one!”

“I don’t have time for this, N.” Louis looks back at the door, his hand tightening on the stick.

“Right away? Okay. I’ll just grab my jacket,” Kent says and Louis unplugs the drive, rushing over to the bookshelf on the wall, trying to find a place to hide.

“Louis,” Kent says, making Louis jump, startled. He hadn’t heard Kent coming in. “What are you doing here?”

Louis turns around and smiles at him. “Oh, I’ve wanted to talk to you. You know, get your opinion on how I did during my first weeks here,” he replies, burying his hands in his pocket and thus burying the USB drive as deep as he possibly can.

“I told Betsy to not let anyone in while I was gone,” Kent says, his eyes narrowing as he watches Louis closely.

“You know me, always the charmer. I promised her I wouldn’t say anything and she wouldn’t get in trouble.” He shrugs and plasters a sweet smile on his face. Hopefully he can make Kent believe him.

“Careful, Lou,” Niall says in his ear. He’s still watching everything via the camera in Louis’ glasses, thus he’s seeing the same things Louis sees as well.

“I probably shouldn’t let it slide,” Kent says and raises an eyebrow. “But since it’s only you, there’s hardly anything I could do.”

“Sorry,” Louis offers and bites his lip. “I won’t do it again, promised.”

“That’s highly appreciated. And I’d love to take the time and chat with you, but I actually got real work to do. I’ve been called into a meeting. So we’ve got to postpone out little chat.” Kent gives him a cold stare.

Louis nods. “Sure, of course. I’ll come back some other time then. Or you can call me in or whatever is convenient for you.” He flashes Kent another smile and then walks straight past him to the door while Kent makes his way over to the desk to grab his jacket that’s hanging over the back of his chair.

“Louis.”

Louis turns around to look at him, raising his eyebrows.

“I guess you’ve forgot something.” Kent holds up the cap of the USB drive and smiles coldly at Louis, realisation flickering across his face.

“Oh. That isn’t mine.” Louis shrugs. “Sorry. You probably must’ve forgotten it or something. See you around then.” With that Louis hurries out of the office, walking straight past Betsy without acknowledging her or her confused exclaim of his name.

“Fuck,” he whispers as he gets into the men’s room and looks if he’s alone. “Fuck, N, I’m screwed. He knows. He totally knows.”

“He can’t know. It’s the cap of an USB drive. That doesn’t say anything.” Niall’s voice is reassuring, making Louis snort anyway.

“But you’ve seen the look on his face. He realised. I’ve been made. My cover is blown, probably. You need to figure out what’s on these accounts, how they’re connected and how Liam’s involved. I guess I don’t have a lot of time to work here anymore.” Louis runs a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. It doesn’t help him if he freaks out right now. He’s got to keep a clear head about this. Maybe Niall is right, maybe Kent hasn’t figured out anything.

“There’s another agent working at the firm. He’s been placed there a few months before you took over the assignment. If you run into trouble, we’ll contact him and make sure he’ll get you out,” Niall says, making Louis frown at that.

“Who?”

“I can’t tell you that, you know that. He’s got to keep his cover and it can’t be compromised. Maybe you don’t need his help. But just in case, you know that there’s someone there to help you. Alright? I’ve really got to work on figuring out this data now. Go back to work, pretend as if nothing has happened.”

Louis nods. “Alright. I’ll leave the glasses on, just in case. And you’ll make sure that we get this bastard, okay?”

“Of course. You know I’m the best at my job.” The grin in Niall’s voice is audible and Louis really hopes that he’s working on doing whatever he can to clear this thing up. He really can’t imagine that Liam is involved in anything, not with everything that Kent is hiding behind all of these accounts.

“I know,” Louis says and nods to his reflection in the mirror and thus at Niall. He’s got to trust him on this and he’s trying really hard to believe everything. It’s just the fact that he doesn’t quite know how to read Kent and that he doesn’t know about Liam’s involvement in everything that worries him. He’s got to make sure that he finds out the truth.

 

~*~

 

If Kent has found out who Louis is, he doesn’t act on it. Louis keeps being on alert but Kent isn’t doing anything. If anything, he’s being friendlier and trying to lure Louis into having conversations with him. It sets off all kind of alarms in Louis’ head. Kent is someone he shouldn’t be trusting.

So when Liam finally calls Louis into his office during work hours – something he hasn’t done since Louis started working for the company, Louis is highly alerted. Things don’t smell right to him and he doesn’t quite know what to expect.

“Harvey told me you’re doing a great job,” Liam says and smiles, getting out of his chair and stepping up to Louis. “That’s great.” He grabs Louis’ shoulders and squeezes a bit, before leaning down to kiss him.

Louis frowns up at him. “He told you I do great work?” Actually, Louis isn’t doing a lot of anything these days. He’s just trying to get as much information as possible – when that means he has to pretend to be working, sure, but it doesn’t mean he gets a lot of work done. Mainly, because he doesn’t have a clue about what he’s doing and he’s relying to Niall for most of the time anyway.

“Yes. We had a lovely chat the other day. I asked him how you were doing in your first weeks working for us and he’s delighted.” Liam beams at him. “That’s great, right? You can start working for us full time now.”

“Uhm.” Louis furrows his brow, not sure if he really should believe what Liam is telling him.

Liam’s face falls at that. “You don’t want to?” He bites his lip and nods. “Okay, I understand. You don’t have to. It was just an offer anyway. I mean, we can still keep up the contract and everything.”

“Louis!” Niall’s voice pops up in his ear. “You’ve been made. Your cover is blown. We’ve intercepted a call between Kent and a known hitman. He thinks Liam is involved and he’s trying to kill him so he can take over the company.”

“What? Fuck!” Louis pushes Liam back against the wall. “Right now?”

“Louis? What the hell is wrong with you?” Liam draws his eyebrows together as he pushes Louis’ hands off him.

“Yes, right now. You need to get out of there or it won’t be pretty,” Niall says and Louis swears again.

“I don’t have the time to explain it to you right now,” Louis tells Liam and pulls out his Walther PPK. “You’re in danger and I need to get you out of this office.”

Liam’s eyes widen. “What? What’s going on? What’s with the gun, Lou?” He asks, his voice shaking a little.

“I really don’t have time for this. But fine, long story short: Harvey Kent isn’t who you think he is. He’s been laundering money from drug businesses and human trafficking through your company, hiding his traces and he’s using your name to do it. And now he’s trying to have you killed,” Louis explains hastily, looking at the door. “So could you please focus and tell me if there’s another way out of here, other than the front door?”

Just as Liam is about to answer, the door pops open and a lanky guy with a tall quiff stands in the room, a Glock 18 in his hand. “You should come with me.”

“Nick?” Louis raises his eyebrows shakes his head. “So you’ve been the one in this firm N’s been talking about. This just gets better and better.”

“Now’s really not the time for chatting, as much as I love hearing your lovely voice. We’ve really got to get going. I assume N already informed you?”

Louis nods, eyeing Grimshaw closely. He’s been working at the agency for as long as Louis can remember. Seeing as he’s older and more experienced, he outranks him quite a bit. No wonder that Zayn has tried to set him on Louis, figuring that an older and higher ranked agent can keep him contained quite a bit. After all, Louis has never met Harry’s infamous Nick from marketing. No one could have know that it was Grimshaw and not some random guy.

“I really don’t understand what’s going on,” Liam says and looks from one to the other. “Where’s Harry?”

“I told him to go home, didn’t want him to get hurt as well,” Nick says and waves them over. “Come one. We need to get going.”

Louis grabs Liam’s hand and pulls him towards the other agent. Liam is surprisingly cooperative for someone who just found out that he’s been tricked the last months by not only one secret agent, but two. He would feel sorry for the man if he wasn’t so busy saving his life.

Everything went extremely fast in the last few days, especially since they figured out what Kent was up to – Niall’s voice is still ringing in Louis’ ear.

“There’s a fire exit to the left of the building. You can use it and make your way down to the sixth floor. It should be safe to use the lift there,” Niall tells them – probably Nick can hear his voice, too.

Louis is just about to reply when a shoot hits the wall close to Liam’s head. “Fuck!” He pulls Liam down, just in time for Nick and him to shoot back. He really doesn’t want Liam to get killed in the process of saving him – especially not now that he’s found out that Liam isn’t involved in anything. His name hasn’t been cleared officially yet, but Kent ordering a hit on him is a pretty obvious sign. He grabs Liam’s hand and tugs him along; making sure that Nick’s got their backs. Niall has been right. It’s a good thing that there’s been another agent in the building.

They’ve almost made it to the fire exit when a scream makes Louis look up. Liam sinks to the ground, holding a hand to his bleeding arm. “Fuck. Shit.” Louis undoes his tie and quickly wraps it around Liam’s arm. “C’mon, you’ve got to do this, okay? We really need to get out of here.” He looks up into Liam’s eyes, trying to make him understand that they need to go.

The look on Liam’s face almost hits Louis straight in the gut. There’s so much confusion showing in his eyes and he’s frowning at Louis, probably trying to figure out when his life became such a mess and Louis really, really wants to feel sorry for him. But he can’t. He’s got a job to do and right now his job consists of saving Liam’s life. So he drags him to his feet and to the fire exit door.

 

After that, everything is a blur to Louis. He barely remembers how they made it to the sixth floor in one piece. Nick takes care of the hitman all on his own while Louis pushes Liam into the lift. “Call a fucking ambulance,” he tells Niall and closes his eyes for a moment, stepping up to Liam who is still holding on to his arm. “It’s going to be alright, okay? It’s just a graze shot, nothing deep. You’ll survive.”

Liam frowns at him again, obviously still not understanding what’s going on. “Louis...” His voice sounds weak and confused and Louis really can’t blame him.

“We’re here,” he says when the lift comes to a halt at the ground-floor. He grabs Liam’s other arm and pulls him out of the lift, immediately making his way to the ambulance that is waiting for them. Without another word he pushes Liam into the arms of the paramedic and then turns around again. Louis can’t deal with Liam’s confused face any more, he really can’t. And after all, he’s still got a job to do.

“You know where Kent is?” He asks Niall, who is still shouting at Nick, probably.

“He should be in his office, trying to clean up and transferring as much money as possible to his own accounts,” Niall replies after a moment.

“I’ll take care of him.” Louis checks if he’s still got enough ammo and then makes his way up to the eighth floor where the financial department is located. As far as he can tell, all of the offices are deserted. He’s not quite sure if this is a good sign, but at least there won’t be any casualties when he takes out Kent.

“Louis, I’ve been wondering when you’d visit me again,” Kent says when Louis steps into his office, the Walther PPK drawn and aimed at the criminal.

“Ah, I’ve been trying to get around to visiting you, but I just haven’t found the time, with being shot at and everything.” Louis shrugs. “Pack it up, Kent, we’ve got you and there’s no point in running anymore.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t try and run. I’ve been busy doing a few transactions right now.” Kent chuckles low in his throat, his finger hovering over the ENTER button. “If I press this button, all of the money from One Direction Corp will be transferred to my account and from that on, it’ll be almost impossible to trace where the money is going. You’ll never find out who’s behind the business in the first place.”

“Don’t.” Louis shakes his head. “We can cut you a deal. You don’t have to do this.”

“I’ll be dead anyway. Once they’ll find out, they’ll have me killed and there’s nothing you can do. This is bigger than you, Louis. This is bigger than all of this.” Kent gestures around and before Louis can react, he pulls out a gun of his own.

“Don’t make me do it, Harvey,” Louis says, his hand tightening on the gun he is holding. “You can help us catch them. If you help us, we can protect you.”

“There’s nothing you can do.” Kent chuckles again and presses the button, shrugging at Louis. Just as Louis is about to move forward, a shoot breaks the window and Kent drops to the ground.

“No!” Louis screams and rushes over to him, trying to stop the bleeding to his heart. “Who’s behind all of this? Tell me!”

“You will... never find out,” Kent whispers, his voice already almost gone.

“Fuck,” Louis whispers back, closing his eyes, as he moves back from the lifeless body, leaning back against. He’s failed his assignment. The real string pullers behind these operations are still out there. And he’s not sure if everything he did was worth it in the end, matching the information they got against the body and the injuries sustained. At least Liam has survived it. That’s the only good thing that comes out of it, anyway.

 

~*~

 

“You know, it wasn’t as bad as you think,” Niall tells him and rubs his hand over Louis’ shoulder. “At least we got a clue where to look for them – South America isn’t really as big and South Africa? Small village. We’re going to get them.”

Louis gives him a look. He’d really like to believe what Niall is saying, he really does. But he’s not quite sure he’s up for it. He hasn’t been up for anything the last few weeks, concerning his job at least. He feels like he’s failed himself, failed the agency. But mostly he feels worse for betraying Liam’s trust.

Louis will probably never forget the confusion in Liam’s eyes, the hurt as he realised that Louis has been playing him all along. And it really hurts that he’s allowed himself to believe that he felt that this was something more, that he could develop feelings for an assignment that could never be more than a cover.

He still feels like the world’s worst spy. But mostly he feels like the world’s worst failure, for betraying a person like Liam and destroying him for everyone else. He wouldn’t blame Liam if he couldn’t love someone else ever again. He really wouldn’t blame him. But then Louis can’t be sure if this had been something real for Liam, too. And he ends up confusing himself more, making him want to curl up in his bed and cry.

He has tried talking to Grimshaw about it. Since the older agent has been assigned to the case, he knew Liam as well and could provide Louis with some helpful tips on how to handle the situation better. Nick, however, hasn’t been the most helpful of them all.

While Louis was looking for something to make him feel better, make him cope with how to handle the situation and his feelings, all Grimshaw has come up with was how much Liam had liked Louis. He talked about what Harry has told him, told Louis the exact same. It wasn’t helpful. It was a disaster. Louis felt even more confused after the talk with the other agent, especially since Nick knew Harry and thus Liam so well.

But Louis didn’t feel like giving in to his feelings and he still doesn’t feel like it now. Sure, there might be some doubt in him. But he became an agent for a reason and he’s not willing to give it up, not without having prove that it might be worth it. He’s failed himself and Liam so miserably, he can’t come up with a better solution for all of it. After all, he still doesn’t know what Liam really thinks about him. And he’s too afraid to find out.

“If you say so, Nialler,” he says after a moment and shrugs. “Whatever, really. I’m not up for it anyway and I’ve still got the debriefing with Zayn coming up. So.”

“There’s something I wanted to show you,” Niall says and smiles at him, squeezing his shoulder again. He waits for Louis’ nod until he pulls out the keyboard and punches in a few letters. “You know, we’ve kept the flat you’ve lived in as your cover rented after the mission, right?”

Louis furrows his brow. “Yeah. I know, standard procedure. Why?”

Niall smiles at him. “Take a look.” He presses the space bar on the keyboard and some of the security footage from the front door pops up.

There is the mail man from time to time, but nothing suspicious. Until a guy walks up to the door and Louis catches his breath. He’s wearing a sling on his left arm while holding the leash of a small dog in his right. “Oh god,” Louis whispers as he is staring at the screen. Liam rings the bell at least five times before he gives up, his shoulders hunched as he ducks his head. The scene repeats itself about five times, Liam’s wearing a different outfit each time until no one else but the mail man arrives at the door. “Turn it off,” he tells Niall and closes his eyes for a moment.

“He really liked you, Lou. I don’t think it was just convenience for him. I think he really, really liked you.” Niall gives him a sympathetic look and then pats him on the back. “Anyway, that’s just what I wanted to show you before your debriefing with Zayn.” He grins at him and winks. “Now, good luck. And please don’t be mean to him. He just did his job.”

Louis rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t ever be mean to him. You know me.” He claps Niall’s back and then turns around, heading for the door. Before he pulls it open, he turns around again, giving him a small smile. “Thanks for everything, Nialler.”

With that, he slips out of the room, not even waiting for an answer.

 

~*~

 

“So, the mission was a success, more or less at least,” Zayn says and opens the file that’s lying on the desk in front of him. “We did get Kent, in the end, and we figured out where all of the drug money went. We still have to locate it though. But it’s been good work.”

Louis snorts. “Kent is dead and he could’ve told me the names of his bosses. He would’ve, I’m sure. If I hadn’t failed to protect him from the sniper.”

“There was nothing you could’ve done, Louis,” Zayn says gently, giving him a small smile. “You did your job. We’ll figure out who the big bosses are anyway. You’ll head to Columbia for your next assignment, there’s a contact in Bogota, he’s willing to—“

“No.”

Zayn furrows his brow and leans forward. “I beg your pardon?”

“No. I’m not going to fly to Bogota,” Louis says and shrugs.

“You’re not?”

“No.”

“It’s a direct order you’d be disobeying,” Zayn reminds him, folding his hands on his desk as he watches Louis closely. “Unless there’s something you want to tell me?”

“I guess there probably is.” Louis gets up and puts an envelope on Zayn’s desk. “I resign. Everything you need is in there. I already gave the weapons back to Niall when I was debriefing with him.”

Zayn eyes him for a moment before he pulls the envelope closer and opens it. He quickly reads over the letter and finally nods. “What are you going to do now?”

Louis shrugs. “I’ve always wanted to study drama, you know?”

Zayn snorts at that. “Make sure to be happy. I guess there is someone waiting for you.”

“I hope so, too.” Louis smiles at him and holds out his hand, waiting for Zayn to shake it. “Thanks for everything, Zayn.”

“Don’t mention it.” He gives him a soft smile and nods, before letting go of Louis’ hand.

Louis gives him a small smile and then turns around to leave the room, not stopping once to look back at his former boss. He isn’t quite sure if it’s been the wisest decision in his life, but right now he doesn’t really care. It’s what feels right and he’s got to follow his heart for once.

 

~*~

 

Louis’ hand is shaking a bit when he finally rings the bell. He’s been standing in front of Liam’s door for at least fifteen minutes before he could come up with the courage to make a move. He’s slipped past the front door of the building easily. Liam should really be a bit more considerate when it comes to his passwords.

He doesn’t quite know what he’s expecting now though. Liam is probably confused and still hurt, even though he’s been trying to talk to Louis. After all, he’s been trying to get in touch with him five times, from what the security tapes have shown.

There’s some barking inside and then he can hear Liam scold the dog to drop it before the door is opened. Liam’s faces goes through every emotion possible – from anger to joy to confusion, everything is mixed in there somewhere and Louis can hardly blame him. He’s left someone else to clean up his mess. As far as he knows, Nick has explained everything to Liam, filling him in on what’s been going on, on what Louis mission has been, even that Wayne has never been Louis’ real name. And Louis would really feel sorry for himself, if he wasn’t so scared that Liam would never want to talk to him again. “Louis.”

“Hi Liam,” he replies and buries his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“What are you—how—why?” Liam blinks at him, clearly at a loss of words. Louis feels bad, for everything, but mostly he feels bad for hurting Liam like this.

“I guess you’ve been told? About everything?” Louis asks instead and when Liam nods, he shrugs a little, giving him an unsure smile. “I’ve wanted to talk to you. Clear a few things up. Say that I’m sorry for... doing all of this.”

Liam swallows and nods. “It’s your job.”

“Was.”

“Sorry?”

Louis smiles a bit more. “It was my job. I quit.”

“You can quit being a secret agent so easily?” Liam asks back, raising his eyebrows and making Louis chuckle.

“Yes. It’s really easy. Just hand in a letter of resignation and you’re free, we don’t even have an agreed period of notice,” he explains and takes a deep breath. “Anyway, what I’ve wanted to tell you... It’s not all been a lie. You know, everything. Between us. I didn’t always just play a role.”

“Oh,” Liam says and bites his lip, watching Louis for a moment. “Do you maybe like to come in? I’ve just opened a bottle of wine and I don’t like drinking alone.”

Louis smiles at him. “I’d love to,” he says and brushes past Liam when he steps aside, only to be jumped at by a small puppy. “Hello there, who are you then?” He crouches down and lets the dog sniff his hand before he reaches up to scratch it between the ears.

“His name is Loki,” Liam explains. “I was a bit lonely, so I thought I’d buy a puppy. Had to stay home the first weeks anyway.”

“Oh yes. Sorry.” Louis straightens again. “How’s the arm?”

“I’ll live.” Liam smiles at him and gestures towards the living room. “C’mon in. I don’t bite.”

“Not unless I ask, I know.” Louis smiles back and slips out of his shoes before making his way to the living room. Everything is still the way he remembers it. Liam hardly has moved a thing.

“So, you’re just here to say you’re sorry?” Liam asks when he steps into the living room behind Louis, carrying another wine glass which he puts on the table.

Louis sits down on the couch and puts his jacket over the arm rest. “No, not quite,” he admits and looks down at his hands. “I’d like to try, you know, dating, for real, I mean. If you still want to. I know that you probably hate me for what I did to you and I probably deserve it but—“

Liam’s hand on his cheek startles him and when he looks up, Liam is hovering above him, a fond look on his face. The same one Louis has seen a hundred times before. Only now, it’s realer than he could’ve ever imagined. Instead of saying anything, Liam just leans down and places his lips on Louis’, softly kissing him.

Louis lets his eyes fall shut as he brings up his hands to cling to Liam’s biceps. It’s only a small kiss, but it’s a promise of something Louis would have never hoped for and he can’t help but let himself fall. There’s still so much they’ll need to figure out, but for now, it’s enough.

 

THE END.


End file.
